Minor gas leak in Forsyth Hall

Minor+gas+leak+in+Forsyth+Hall

Kaitlyn Budion

A minor gas leak in Forsyth Hall was confirmed by Northeastern Police Officer Michael Monaco around 11 p.m. Monday.

NUPD Staff Sgt. John Farrell said the leak was discovered during routine maintenance on the site by National Grid, the company that runs Northeastern’s gas lines.

“It was a minor leak,” Farrell said. “National Grid had routine meter change in the basement of Forsyth, and while changing that meter they detected that leak.”

Farrell also said the leak should not concern students.

“There was no danger to the public,” he said.

Alison Ring, the media relations representative for National Grid, said corroded pipes in the building caused the leak.

“It was old steel pipes, and they had corroded,” she said. “So the crew came in and installed new plastic service.”

Ring also said the corrosion of the pipes was likely because of the age of the pipes and possibly because of recent heavy rainfall, which could have furthered the corrosion.

“They didn’t mention it being an ongoing problem,” Ring said. “It was the pipes for the building, so it may be the age of the structure that caused the problem. It could also be drainage in that specific area.”

Ring also reported that the project’s field supervisor Josh Knell said it took the crew several days to finish replacing the pipes because it was a larger job,but they are done now. Ring also said it is unlikely this will happen in other areas of campus.

“As far as I know, it was specific to that service line,” she said.