Gas leak in Lawrence repaired, Haverhill Street reopen

Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said the station has received more than 100 calls for gas or carbon monoxide concerns in the past month, including a call Wednesday from a neighbor who said they smelled gas on Haverhill Street.

A Columbia Gas crew found a leak underground. As of early Thursday morning, repairs were completed and the road reopened.

“I understand the frustration and fear," Moriarty said. "It’s one of the things that bothers me every day that these people are scared. I don’t want them to be scared, I want to rectify the situation. We are working closely with Columbia Gas and we do not let incidents slide by.”

Moriarty said he blames part of the gas issues on aging cast iron pipes, which he said crews are in the process of trying to replace.

“That is what caused our incident a year ago, replacing the old system," he said. "This is an example of why we want those cast iron pipes replaced. It’s going to take a while.”

He said residents are also calling concerned because of fears after last year’s gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley.

“We have had a lot of gas calls,” Moriary said. “It bothers me that we have had so many. There is a hyper awareness, but my comrades by my other fire chiefs in other communities, they have gas leaks too, but it doesn’t get the Lawrence stigma that we get."

He explained that the crack in the pipe found Wednesday was likely caused by sudden changes in weather.

Kelly Merritt, communications manager for Columbia Gas, said that she didn’t expect any customer shutoffs as a result of Wednesday’s leak.

Moriarty said that many residents may also be calling concerned because they’re smelling a chemical that is added to make natural gas smell more potent. It’s the highest in the country in Massachusetts.

After the deadly explosions last year, Columbia Gas repaired about 44 miles of old pipeline. Now the company is nearly halfway through replacing more of the aging infrastructure.

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