Stop what you’re doing
Don't smoke or light a match. Don't open the windows. Don’t use anything that could cause a spark, like a phone, light switch, appliance or flashlight. Don’t start your car or use your garage door to leave.
You may see a new vehicle on the roads – one with unexpected safety features.
In our journey to continually reduce risk, we have partnered with Picarro, an industry leader in analytics-driven methane detection, to deploy an advanced mobile methane detection unit across our service territory.
The Picarro vehicle may be coming to a neighborhood near you and provides us with another tool to help identify potential leaks and to better measure methane emission reduction.
Picarro Advanced Leak Detection Video
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View Transcript
Take a moment to think about your home and your neighborhood, your family, neighbors and friends. We think about them every day. We're proud to be part of your community too, providing the natural gas service homes and businesses depend on each day.
We care about your safety and about our environment, which is why we monitor for potential gas leaks regularly through continuous inspections, monitoring and upgrades. We're focused on maintaining a safe natural gas system year-round. And we're excited to announce the latest addition of a revolutionary innovation to our array of existing natural gas detecting tools that's faster, more advanced and more sensitive than anything available before. Meet the Picarro Surveyor. This vehicle doubles as a cutting-edge lab for the detection of natural gas leaks and much more. Created by Picarro, the world's leading provider of advanced mobile leak detection, the vehicle and Picarro's innovative technology, measures ultra-trace methane concentrations in the air and is up to 1000 times more sensitive than traditional methods, and maps them with high resolution GPS, which allows us to gather more information and analyze it so we can quickly assess and proactively respond to a potential leak should we come across one.
The surveyor vehicle does it all while on the move quickly and efficiently. All of this leads to a range of benefits, including reduced methane emissions from our underground gas lines, prompt response to emergency conditions, enhanced ability to prioritize maintenance work, and much more.
So, when you think about the safety journey NiSource is on, you think about investing in technology that enhances public safety, enhances our ability to serve our customers and keep our employees safe. Picarro Surveyor will give us information to help us support operations in ways that we have never seen before.
We invested in the Picarro surveyor to continue to keep your homes neighbors and communities safe and comfortable.
Questions about Picarro
Why are we using Picarro?
Our partnership with Picarro is an additional step we are taking as part of our Safety Management System in which we are constantly looking for ways to improve our operations and reduce risk. This technology will directly support achieving our methane emission reduction goals by 2025.
Thank you for your response.
How does the Picarro vehicle work?
The vehicle is equipped with advanced sensing equipment that processes the content of the air as the vehicle drives down the street. The data collected will be thoroughly analyzed. If a potential gas leak is detected, we will follow our existing processes to investigate, grade, and repair the leak or replace the pipe.
Thank you for your response.
When could I see the Picarro vehicle?
The Picarro vehicle will typically drive sunset to sunrise due to low, steady wind and ideal atmospheric conditions.
Thank you for your response.
Follow these tips if you detect natural gas
Leave the area immediately
If you're inside, get out immediately. If you're outside, leave the area quickly.
Call 911 and us
From a safe location, away from the building, call 911 and our emergency number at 1-888-460-4332 (24/7) and wait for crews to arrive.
More safety tips
Report Gas Leaks
Learn how to detect natural gas and safely respond to the situation.
Gas Line Responsibilities
Know our responsibilities and your responsibilities for maintaining natural gas lines.
Sewer Line Safety
Clearing a clogged sewer line may seem to be a simple fix, but it’s important to contact 811 and a professional plumber to ensure the clog is cleared properly and safely.