For Arroyo Grande resident Alyson Rodges, an October 8 gas leak on Higuera Street was an unexpected disruption during her weekly trip to Downtown San Luis Obispo for a hair appointment.
“'Um, are we gonna blow up? Yeah, that did filter through my brain,” Rodges said.
The leak forced evacuations, street closures and the cancellation of the Downtown SLO Farmers' Market.
“We heard about it in the salon, and parking was always challenging, but it was extra challenging on those days,” Rodges said.
That was the first of three gas leaks reported in downtown San Luis Obispo in less than a month.
A second leak was reported October 27 on Monterey Street, followed by a third on November 3 on Court Street.
Each incident prompted an emergency response and disrupted nearby businesses and residents.
For Boo Boo Records owner Mike White, the second leak meant temporarily closing his business on Monterey Street for several hours.
Despite the disruption, White said he felt emergency crews had the situation under control.
“You just feel like they have it handled, so there was no pending doom,” White said.
The City also responded to a fourth gas leak on November 5 in the 400 block of Pismo Street.
According to the City, that incident was caused by accidental damage to a residential gas line during construction work. Unlike the previous three leaks, this incident was not discovered during SoCalGas' routine inspection work.
SoCalGas says the first three leaks were discovered during routine leak survey work required under state and federal regulations.
The company's latest survey ran from October 7 through November 6. It covered nearly 17,000 feet of gas infrastructure on an annual inspection cycle, along with another 500 feet on a five-year inspection cycle.
During that work, crews identified three separate locations requiring immediate repairs. SoCalGas says the issues are believed to be unrelated to one another.
San Luis Obispo Assistant Director of Public Works Madeline Kacsinta said the problems included a cracked pipe connection, a leak in a gas line connecting to a main pipe and a leaking cap that needed to be replaced.
“Three different instances, unrelated to each other, that they found,” Kacsinta said.
SoCalGas says no additional leaks were identified during the survey and the natural gas system continues to operate normally.
The company says immediate repairs have been completed, with permanent repair work expected to begin Monday night, November 16, and wrap up by Wednesday night, November 18.
The City says it is continuing to work with SoCalGas as the company investigates the issues and completes the necessary repairs.
“The City is working closely with SoCalGas to make sure that they are continuing to investigate them and then that we are able to respond to the incidents,” Kacsinta said.
Businesses impacted by evacuation orders or shelter-in-place instructions may also submit a claim to SoCalGas. For more information about submitting a claim, click here.
SoCalGas says it will continue conducting routine leak surveys throughout San Luis Obispo as part of its ongoing safety inspections.
