A natural gas leak Friday night closed down nearly a whole city block while personnel from Atmos Energy, the Elizabethton Water Department, the Elizabethton Fire Department, and City of Elizabethton worked together to remedy the leak. The repair took place at the corner of North Sycamore Street and East Cottage Avenue.

“The leak was the result of a coating defect over time,” said John Bradley, Operations Supervisor with Atmos of Johnson City and Morristown. “When we actually got to it, it was a relatively small leak and fairly easy to patch.”

Personnel were on scene for approximately 10 hours, he said, because of difficulty locating and accessing the leak.

“We investigated, and there were no homes in danger,” Bradley said. “It was very contained to a small area right under the asphalt at the corner.”

He said the leak was small and had probably a 30-foot spread.
“It just took us a little while to find it,” he said.

Once they found it, he said they had to close and cut the road to repair it.

“It’s very rare that we ever have a gas leak,” he said. “We survey lines on a regular basis and are regulated by a code of federal regulations.”

Because natural gas is lighter than air, he said it essentially evaporates and does not leave residual gas in the ground.

“Everything is clean and safe, and the road is temporarily repaired,” Bradley said.
If people smell natural gas, which smells like rotten eggs, Bradley said they should call 911 immediately. He said reports from residents indicated the possibility of a leak.

Johann Coetzee, Elizabethton director of engineering, said his staff picked up the gas in one of the city storm lines, so they went to the scene and discovered the leak near a city storm sewer.

Bradley said Elizabethton officials went above and beyond and said they had an outstanding response.