SANTA ROSA CONTY, Fla. — Gas lines in Santa Rosa County are getting hit, what seems to be, every week.
The Holley-Navarre Fire District responded to one natural gas leak in April, two in June, and now six so far in July.
County officials say it’s a result of rapid growth in the area and the need for updated infrastructure.
They’re also looking at introducing more requirements to cut down on the issue.
It’s primarily the rapid growth, everybody’s trying to get infrastructure in place.
County administrator Brad Baker says there’s been a federal push to get broadband to everyone and fiber companies have been taking an ‘aggressive approach.’
Those companies are hitting gas lines in the process.
“The primary area we’re having problems with is the Navarre area,” Baker said. “The broadband initiative has been a big initiative from the federal government. They’re trying to get broadband to everyone, so the fiber companies are taking an aggressive approach, I would say.”
“What we’re seeing primarily of recent is the feeding it to the areas that didn’t have fiber and we’ve had problems with multiple companies,” he added.
Whether that be live oak fiber, which is one in the Navarre area, or ATT.
“It’s primarily marking issues, and recently it’s been with Okaloosa gas lines,” Baker said. “I don’t know if they’re short-staffed or can’t keep up with the fiber companies.”
“They had a line marked, they just had it marked in the wrong spot, they were about three feet off,” Baker said. ” They hired a company to mark the lines, and they just missed them. Obviously, you’re running fiber and you think you’re free, and you’re three feet away, and you’re on top of it.”
“I think going forward, we’re talking about bringing a policy recommendation to the board that would require either the markings to be done by the utility provider,” Baker said. “If they’re not in the time that the new company wants to come in, that they have to pay someone.”
“Ultimately, whoever breaks it is responsible, but that’ll be between the utility provider and them,” Baker said. “Typically, the utility providers in this case, Okaloosa Gas, come out and repair, and I don’t know how their policy and procedures are to seek reimbursement for those repairs.”
“What we’re seeing with this recent string of events is the gas company not having the ability whether its manpower time or maybe they’re not on the same schedule that the contractor wants to be on,” Baker said.
“We’re either having them marked in the wrong spot by a third party company or they’re not being marked and the you continue to proceed and then they cross that line,” he added.
The fiber optic primary issue this year is push for broadband and federal dollars out there, that’s what they’re seeing.
“I think the policy recommendation will be something in the effect of we’re going to require that company to assure and document that the utilities have been marked and if they’re wanting to progress before the 811 marking gets out there, then they are going to have to hire a third party company to come in and mark those utilities and prove that they have done that,” Baker said.
Baker is asking companies to be cognizant of their markings and be a little more diligent.
“Not only is it a safety concern when we have a gas line rupture, but it also affects the neighborhood, traffic, and the way of life for that day,” Baker said. “You also have to do the repairs, and that slows it down. So do a little more due diligence and make sure they’re not striking these utilities that are already in the ground.”