Natural Gas

Natural Gas Division Employees

Justin Burnett, Lead/Compliance
Les Hendricks, Gas System Specialist
Chans Bateman, Gas System Specialist/Welder
Justin Tutor, Gas System Worker
Jamie Brown, Gas System Worker

 

Natural Gas Information

Natural gas is a clean burning fossil fuel found beneath the earth’s surface. Because of its efficiency and ease of use, it has become the most popular source of home heating in America.
Natural gas is odorless, so to provide safety to you, an odor of rotten eggs is added to the gas so it can be recognized and reported.

  

Gas Odor/Gas Leak

In the event of an after hours gas odor or leak, please call (928) 965-2306 or (928) 432-4200 or dial 911.

LIGHT ODOR:

• Meet City Gas Technician outside in front of building

STRONG ODOR "EXTREME":

• Caution against ignition
• Do not hang up phone
• Do not operate electric appliances
• Do not turn lights on/off
• Do not operate vehicles or equipment
• Do not smoke
• Evacuate to a safe location
• Keep people away from leak area

Transportation

Natural gas is piped to you from wells in Texas and Oklahoma. Over two million miles of pipe in the United States transports both liquid and gases through-out the country. Natural gas provides one fourth of the country’s energy, serving 69 million customers. The City of Safford serves 3852 customers and maintains over 71 miles of distribution piping.

Safety

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the natural gas delivery system has the best safety record of any energy delivery system. Natural gas lines are mostly buried, and all systems are heavily monitored by state and federal regulators. Adherence to these strict codes has helped the City of Safford maintain a history of safe delivery of natural gas. We continuously monitor our system to protect the life and property of our customers.

Potential Hazards

With proper handling, natural gas is a safe, clean and efficient fuel source. However, you need to respect it and know its potential hazards:

• Leaks can cause fire and/or explosion
• Carbon Monoxide poisoning
• Suffocation
• Service outages

We Keep You Safe

The City of Safford works hard at providing natural gas to you, our customers. We hold mock emergency drills with the Safford Fire and Police departments to be sure that we are prepared for natural gas emergencies. We inform excavators and all residents of Safford to call Arizona 811 to request a locate and wait for the marks on the ground before digging. A reminder for gas safety and 811 is printed regularly.

Gas Pipe Locations

Our large gas mains have markers intermittently placed above ground to give their approximate location. Our smaller lines and service lines do not. We have maps and locating equipment to mark lines as accurately as possible. If you are digging near a marked line, you must “soft dig” with a shovel and locate the line before using an excavator. Failure to use the blue stake service is the number one cause of damaged gas lines in America. Please help us reduce that risk.
 

System Facts

• 74 miles of gas main
• 46.5 miles of service line
• 3,475 services and meter sets

Know what's below. Call before you dig.

Call Arizona 811 before you dig.
Statewide: 811 or 1-800-782-5348