Elevated Gas Distribution

The recent large-scale snowstorm to hit the eastern periphery of the US caused widespread chaos. Roads were difficult to use until cleared, flights cancelled, many schools and places of employment closed. The heavy, wet kind of snow also brought down power lines in various locations. As usual, radio phone-in shows were treated to the sort of idiot that surfaces every time a snowstorm or hurricane passes through. Their usual argument is that vital infrastructure such as electricity distribution cables, should be buried. The electric companies are then forced to explain what should be obvious to anyone with half a brain. Suspending power lines from flimsy wooden poles is cheaper, faster to install and critically, should they be damaged are easy to access in order to effect a repair.

This logic draws attention to the alarming fact that we're clearly doing domestic gas distribution all wrong. Currently, gas lines are buried several feet under ground. Had the recent snowstorm damaged the gas distribution pipework, repair crews would have been faced with the nightmare scenario of digging through feet of snow into potentially frozen ground to reach the damaged pipe. This would be slow, costly and inconvenient. Other problems are exacerbated by the gas being underground, should a pipe develop a leak, the close packed earth around the pipe could block gas egress. You might not even be able to detect such a leak!

Obviously, we should be suspending gas pipes from wooden poles like the sensible electric companies. There are numerous advantages, should the pipe become damaged then it will be much easier to detect and repair the breach. In fact, the really clever thing to do would be to suspend gas and electricity from the same poles, often they're going to the same places.

This would mean that should a storm bring down electric lines, the electric company could inform the gas company and vice versa, improving damage detection for both. Conversely, a live electric cable is often difficult to see, and may represent a hidden hazard should it fall onto a conductor, such as a metal fence or pool of water. Here, the obvious smell of gas would warn people that there was also a danger of electric shocks. Any sparks could possibly ignite the leaking gas, in this scenario the gas leak would be really very obvious indeed. Distant survivors could then inform one or both companies about the need for urgent work.