Natural gas line leak beneath river interrupts service

HASTINGS, Mich. (AP) — Several thousand natural gas customers have had their service interrupted due to a leak in a gas line beneath a river in western Michigan.

Consumers Energy said it is trying to determine what caused the leak in a 6-inch steel gas main under the Thornapple River in Barry County.

The Jackson-based utility plans to use a temporary natural gas pipeline to restore service while it repairs the permanent line. The loss of pressure has affected about 4,500 customers in the Hastings area, southeast of Grand Rapids.

Those customers will have to be disconnected from the permanent line and then connected to the temporary pipeline over the river, according to Consumers Energy.

“Once we’re confident that the bypass is working and ready to serve customers, then we connect people again,” Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler told WOOD-TV Thursday. “That means going door-to-door, going inside houses to relight the pilot lights, say on your furnace, to make sure that you have natural gas working safely in your home.”

Wheeler said most customers should have service back by the end of the weekend.

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