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GENERAL
INFORMATION
The Springfield Gas Department is
responsible for the purchase and distribution
of natural gas to more than seven thousand
(7,000) customers in Springfield and Robertson
County. A team of twenty-four (24) employees
is responsible for the construction, maintenance,
operation and safety inspection of the
system. The Tennessee Regulatory Authority
conducts periodic inspections of the system
and provides written reports to the department.
The City of Springfield has a contract
with the Tennessee Energy Acquisition
Corporation for the purchase, transportation
and storage of natural gas.
TENNESSEE ENERGY
ACQUISITION CORPORATION
The cities of Springfield and Clarksville
formed the Tennessee Energy Acquisition
Corporation in 1996. One of the primary
purposes for which the corporation was
formed was to enter into a gas supply
agreement with the Municipal Gas Authority
of Georgia for the purchase of natural
gas at below market prices, on a long-term
basis, so that the Tennessee Energy Acquisition
Corporation could in turn enter into agreements
with its associated municipalities to
supply the gas to the municipalities at
below market prices. TEAC also provides
transportation and storage capacity services
as well as load management services for
its associated municipalities to secure
the delivery of the gas supplies to their
city gate stations. A total of nineteen
(19) gas systems are currently members
of TEAC. Robert Durham, General Manager
of the Greater Dickson Gas Authority is
the current Chairman of the TEAC Board
of Directors. George Hall, Director of
Gas Utilities for the City of Springfield
served as Chairman from 1999 to 2007 and
currently serves on the Board of Directors.
GAS CODE
The International Fuel Gas Code, 2006
edition, as prepared and adopted by the
International Code Council, including
all appendices, addenda, and supplements
thereto, has been adopted as the City
of Springfield gas code.
HOW TO INITIATE
GAS SERVICE
The City of Springfield is a full
service city that provides gas, water,
wastewater, electric and sanitation utility
services which are collectively billed
on one monthly statement as a convenience
to our customers. New service can be initiated
by visiting the new services window on
the first floor of City Hall, completing
an application, and paying all service
fees and deposits. City Hall is located
at 405 North Main Street and the telephone
number is 615-382-2200.
RATES AND FEES
The current
rates and fees for gas service can be
found on The City of Springfield home
page by clicking on Rates
and Fees.
GAS SYSTEM SAFETY
 Interstate
natural gas pipelines are America's safest
transportation networks. We have achieved
this safety record through the diligent
efforts of the gas pipeline industry working
closely with state and federal agencies,
and the public. Natural gas is flammable.
If its release is not controlled, it could
result in a fire or an explosion. As an
industry, our goal is to improve public
safety by continuing to improve our safety
record. You can help. How? Simply follow
these steps:
- Be Aware of Pipelines
in Your Area
- Call Before You Dig
- Report Unusual Conditions
- Know What Steps to Take in an Emergency
Pipeline
Awareness
 Because
natural gas pipelines are underground,
the public often is unaware of their
presence. Pipelines may be in your neighborhood,
or even on your property. How do you
know?
One of the easiest
ways to locate a pipeline is to recognize
pipeline markers. The Springfield Gas
Department paints these markers with
high-visibility yellow, and installs
the markers at road crossings, railroads
and other points along the pipeline
right-of-way. The markers identify the
pipeline company and include telephone
numbers to call to reach a company representative.
If a pipeline is
on your property, the easement is the
agreement that gives the pipeline company
the right of access to build, operate
and maintain the pipeline. Please remember,
if a pipeline is on your property, the
right-of-way must be kept clear of structures
and trees. These restrictions are necessary
for safety reasons. Please contact the
Springfield Gas Department for additional
information.
Call Before
You Dig
Are you thinking about building
a new swimming pool, installing a drain
tile system or constructing a new building?
For your convenience the Springfield
Gas Department and other utilities have
joined a "One Call System."
All you have to do is call the "One
Call" number seventy-two (72) hours
prior to your planned excavation and
provide them with the information concerning
your work. They in turn will alert the
utilities that are participating in
the "One Call" program.
Before you begin
any type of excavation, please call
ONE CALL SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE at 1-800-351-1111
or simply dial 811. This program is
designed to prevent excavation damage
to pipelines, utilities, water lines
and telecommunication systems. The law
requires notification and fines can
be imposed for failure to comply.
Within seventy-two
(72) hours of your call, the Springfield
Gas Department will investigate the
area of your work and mark in yellow
paint, flags or stakes where our pipelines
are located. Every effort is made to
place the markings directly above the
pipe, but the location could vary two
(2) feet in either direction. Depth
of the pipeline is not usually indicated,
requiring extreme caution while excavating
in close proximity of a marked facility.
It is required that pipelines be exposed
by hand digging.
Report Unusual
Conditions
You can be an important addition
to a pipeline company's safety program
by being alert to conditions or situations
that could threaten the integrity of
pipelines in your neighborhood. The
following are examples of potentially
dangerous situations. Please immediately
contact the Springfield Gas Department
at (615) 382-1621 during business hours
or after hours at (615) 384-8422 if
you encounter any of these situations
or need any additional information.
Accidental
hit of a pipeline - Occasionally
a plow, post-hole digger or other excavation
equipment strikes a pipeline. While
the impact may not seem significant,
damage to the pipe and coating creates
a concentration of stress and corrosion
on that part of the pipeline. The company
will inspect the damage and make any
necessary repairs or maintenance.
Washout of soil
- The washout of soil on the pipeline
right-of-way, or along river and stream
banks can expose a pipeline to damage
from machinery or the elements. The
company will take action to protect
the pipeline.
Suspected pipeline
leak - There are several signs that
can indicate a leak is present. These
include distressed or dead vegetation
in a  pipeline
or right-of-way that can be caused by
a small leak in a gas pipeline, or a
hissing sound or odor of gas in the
pipeline right-of-way. If you see, hear
or smell any of these signs, please
notify the Springfield Gas Department
and we will investigate the situation.
Odor of gas
- Natural gas is odorized to give it
a distinctive odor as a means of early
gas leak detection. Workers in the natural
gas industry add odorants and maintain
an odorant level in the gas to make
it detectable if there is a gas leak.
The Springfield Gas Department has "Scratch
and Sniff" cards at the office
to help you become familiar with this
distinctive odor.
Steps to Take in an Emergency
If you encounter a gas leak or a
suspected gas leak, you should immediately
take the following steps to protect
yourself and others in the area:
- Leave the area
immediately,
- Warn others,
- Do not light a
match, start an engine, use a telephone
(in the area), operate a light switch
or do anything that would create a spark,
and
- Call 911
If you smell a
faint odor of natural gas inside your
home or business;
- Investigate immediately,
and
- If the source
of the odor cannot be located or corrected,
call the Springfield Gas Department
immediately (24 hours a day). A representative
will come to your home or business and
make an inspection at no charge to you.
If a strong or
persistent odor of natural gas is present
in your home or business, or if you
hear a hissing sound of escaping natural
gas, follow this procedure:
- Get everyone out
of the building immediately,
- Leave the door
open,
- Use a neighbor's
phone or cellular phone outside of the
building to call the Springfield Gas
Department at (615) 382-1621 or after
hours at (615) 384-8422,
- DO NOT operate
any electrical switches, appliance controls,
or pull any plugs from outlets,
- DO NOT use the
telephone in the building, and
- If possible, ventilate
the building by opening doors and windows
at top and bottom by starting where
the odor is strongest. DO NOT re-enter
the building for this purpose.
LEAK DETECTION
SURVEYS
 Each
operator of a gas distribution system
must provide for periodic leakage surveys
in its operating and maintenance plan.
A gas leak detection survey must be conducted
in business districts, including tests
of the atmosphere in gas, electric, telephone,
sewer, and water system manholes, at cracks
in pavement and sidewalks, and at other
locations providing an opportunity for
finding gas leaks, at intervals not exceeding
fifteen (15) months, but at least once
each calendar year.
Leak detection surveys
of the distribution system outside of
the principal business areas must be made
as frequently as necessary, but at intervals
not exceeding five (5) years. It is the
policy of the Springfield Gas Department
to complete this work at four (4) year
intervals.
The gas services
to all public and private schools shall
be surveyed once each year with a flame
ionization back pack unit or combustible
gas indicator using the barhole method.
The surveys must begin and finish as early
as possible in the summer period in order
that any leakage detected can be corrected
prior to the beginning of the fall term
of school.
GAS MAIN EXTENSION
POLICIES
Residential
Customers
The Springfield Gas Department will
extend a gas main two hundred (200)
feet at no charge for a residential
customer located within the city of
Springfield. Any footage installed in
excess of the two hundred (200) feet
shall be required to make a contribution
in aid of construction of $3.60 per
linear foot.
The Springfield
Gas Department will extend a gas main
five hundred (500) feet at no charge
for a residential customer located outside
the city of Springfield. Any footage
installed in excess of the five hundred
(500) feet shall be required to make
a contribution in aid of construction
of $3.60 per linear foot.
Please contact
the Springfield Gas Department for the
pricing for residential gas main extensions
involving more than one (1) customer.
Commercial,
Industrial and Development Customers
Please contact
the Springfield Gas Department for the
pricing for commercial and industrial
gas main extensions and for the pricing
for gas main extensions for developments
to be served by the Springfield gas
system.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING
The Operator Qualification Plan (O.Q.
Plan) sets forth the Springfield Gas Department's
policies and procedures for compliance
with the minimum pipeline safety regulations
defined in 49 CFR PART 192, Subpart N.
The O.Q. Plan outlines the requirements
for evaluating the qualifications of individuals
performing certain operating and maintenance
tasks on the gas distribution pipeline
system and facilities. It is the Springfield
Gas Department's responsibility to ensure
that all employees and contractors are
qualified in accordance with this plan.
The department maintains adequate records
to demonstrate that employees and contractors
performing the covered tasks identified
in the plan are qualified and have satisfied
the requirements of the O.Q. Plan.
EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATION
The City of Springfield issues official
identification cards with photographs
to each of its employees. The Springfield
Gas Department encourages its customers
to request that Gas Department employees
present their identification cards when
entering customers' homes and property.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Springfield Gas Department
1311 R.W. Gordon Drive
Springfield, TN 37172
Telephone: 615-382-1621
Fax: 615-382-1622
George Hall, Director of Gas Utilities
LINKS
American
Public Gas Association
Tennessee
Gas Association
Tennessee
Regulatory Authority
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Springfield, Tennessee 37172