Take Precautions Around Gas Meters

As the owner or occupant of a building supplied with natural gas, you have a responsibility to ensure the gas meter, regulator and associated piping are protected from damage. You are responsible for the maintenance of any piping from the gas meter to your gas appliances.

Take care around gas piping when using your lawn mower, brush cutter or digging in garden beds. Do not scratch or damage the protective coating on the meter and piping. Do not hang things from the gas piping.

Do not chain a pet, bicycle, gas grill or anything else to the gas meter or piping.

Do not anchor laundry lines or plant supports to the gas meter or piping.

Maintain a safe clearance between your gas, charcoal or propane grill and the gas meter.

Maintain a 2-foot clearance to allow access to the meter and meter shut-off valve. Maintain at least a 3-foot clearance around commercial meters.

Do not disconnect, move or disturb the gas meter.

Do not change or alter the service connection in any manner.

Call 811 at least three full business days before digging in your yard. This will allow time for the utility lines buried in the area to be marked. The call and mark-out service are free.

What do those colors mean?

You may have seen little flags in the ground, or painted markings on the ground and wondered what they mean. They mark underground utilities. Here's a guide:

RED - Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables.
YELLOW. (Yellow )- Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
ORANGE - Communications, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduits.
BLUE - Potable water.
PURPLE - Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines.
GREEN - Sewer and drain lines.
PINK - Temporary survey markings.
WHITE - Proposed excavation.

Green markings on a storm drain also mean it has been treated for mosquitoes.

From the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Division of Utility and Railroad Safety, July 2007

A Tubercle- Free Fan: Mission Accomplished!

Do you know what tubercles are and what they do to your water supply?

Tubercles form inside water mains as a result of corrosion. They consist of layers of rust, building up over time to form lumps and mounds inside the pipe. Tubercles can severely reduce the full flow of water through a pipe. If your water pressure is low or your water is cloudy, it could be caused by tubercles.

In 1983, the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities created a rehabilitation program for the city’s water pipe system. This Cleaning and Lining Program was designed to improve water quality at a lower cost than replacing existing water mains by drilling out and relining existing water mains with cement mortar.

Neighborhoods targeted for cleaning were the ones that had a high frequency of water pressure complaints, aging pipelines, cloudy water, and a history of water main breaks.

Cleaning and lining was done from spring to fall, so neighborhoods as large as the Fan took four to five years to complete, one section at a time. The project was completed in 2014.