Pipeline awareness

Learn how to stay safe around underground natural gas pipelines and other natural gas facilities.

Planning and working together

For more than 170 years, Peoples Gas has been providing safe and reliable natural gas to approximately 828,000 residential, commercial, and industrial retail sales and transportation customers in the city of Chicago. Inside our service territory, our crews oversee nearly 4,520 miles of delivery system pipeline.

Download natural gas pipeline safety flyer

We work hard to keep our delivery system safe and reliable and count on you to follow all natural gas safety rules and report any incidents. This page provides detailed information on:

The delivery system

Every day in the United States, several million cubic feet of natural gas travel through an underground delivery system to 64 million utility customers. The gas is extracted from the earth and fed into gathering and transmission lines that bring supplies to all regions of the United States. Some natural gas is stored underground for use later. Natural gas is brought to utilities' "gate stations" that feed into gas mains, then to your homes and businesses via service lines.

The Peoples Gas natural gas delivery system has an excellent track record of safety and reliability. The company regularly tests, inspects, monitors and upgrades its system as required by state and federal laws.

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Pipeline location

There are several ways to identify if a pipeline or other natural gas facility is located in your community:

Maps

Underground natural gas facilities are practically everywhere: under streets and highways, around your home and business, in rural and urban communities. General maps of these facilities are available to the public. For more information, visit www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov.

warning pipe

Pipeline markers

We have installed above-ground markers to indicate our pipeline "rights-of-way." However, markers do not indicate the exact location and depth of the pipeline. The markers provide a toll-free number (866-556-6002) to report problems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Transmission line markers are typically placed at public road crossings, fence lines and street intersections. In most cases, these are not located inside urban service territories. The public should become familiar with nearby marker locations, and report any unusual or suspicious activities near these markers to their local police and the pipeline operator.

Encroachments

In order to perform required safety inspections on our pipelines, we must have clear access to the pipeline right-of-way. The area on either side of our pipelines must be kept clear of trees, sheds and other structures.

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Preventing damage

The leading cause of accidents on a natural gas delivery system is hitting lines when digging. Serious injury or death, property damage and service outages can occur if gas pipes are stuck during excavation.

You are required by law to call a One-Call Center at least two business days before you dig or excavate. Utilities will mark underground pipes at your site free of charge. Once underground facilities are marked, you are required to follow established guidelines when digging to prevent striking them

If you plan to dig inside Peoples Gas service territory call 811 Chicago at 811 before you dig.

If you are located outside of our service territory, call the appropriate One Call Center in your area. To find the One Call Center in your area, contact the national Dig Safely referral line at 888-258-0808.

Identifying pipeline damage

Natural gas is colorless and odorless. That's why utilities add an odorant called mercaptan to natural gas. Its unpleasant smell helps alert you in the event of a gas leak. The unintentional release of gas is dangerous to the public and could cause fires, explosions, injury, and even death. A gas leak or damaged pipeline is indicated by the following:

  • A strong odor
  • A blowing or hissing sound from underground natural gas facilities or pipes
  • Dirt blowing into the air or water bubbling
  • Grass, plants or bushes turning brown over natural gas facilities
  • Fire coming out of the ground

If you observe the above conditions, call the 866-556-6002 emergency phone number, the number on the pipeline marker or 9-1-1 from another location.

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Customer-owned pipes

Peoples Gas owns and maintains the mains, service pipes and meters that provide your home or business with natural gas. The pipes beyond the meter, however, are your responsibility. This includes buried gas piping to yard lights, grills, garages and pool heaters.

Buried piping that has not been maintained may be subject to corrosion and leakage. To stay safe, customers with buried piping should periodically have a plumber or heating contractor inspect the pipes and repair them if necessary. Locate underground pipes before digging and excavate by hand near the pipes.

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Pipeline integrity

To ensure safety, Peoples Gas works diligently to comply with the Gas Integrity Management Rule, established by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. This mandate requires Peoples Gas to identify high density population areas and perform periodic inspections of pipelines located in those areas. Our Pipeline Integrity program describes these high density population areas, characterizes threats to the pipelines in these areas, describes how these pipelines will be tested, and how any defects will be evaluated and repaired. The effectiveness of this program is monitored, and the program is modified as needed to improve its effectiveness.

Physical damage to the pipeline and facilities is considered one of the most severe threats to people and the environment. Our recently established Pipeline Integrity and Public Awareness program ensures better protection from pipeline incidents. To learn more about pipeline integrity management, visit the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration website www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/gas-transmission-integrity-management/gas-transmission-integrity-management-gt-im-overview.

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Emergency preparedness

Public safety and environmental protection are a priority for Peoples Gas. We have longstanding relationships with emergency responders where our facilities are located, as well as established, federally required emergency response plans in place. Our personnel are ideally trained and equipped to manage any natural gas incident in conjunction with emergency response officials.

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Important contacts

Contact name Number
24-hour customer service 866-556-6001
24-hour gas emergency 866-556-6002
Pipeline emergencies 800-328-8700
All emergencies 911
Before you dig 811 Chicago at 811

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