Gas line fix done

STAFF REPORT

Repairs for a gas leak on 18th Street were complete by 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to New Mexico Gas Company Area Manager Danny Deckard, who said the leak was small.

“No guests or customer service people were in danger,” he said of the incident, which entailed TLC contractors hitting the line while building the city’s wastewater pipeline, a project that has been underway for weeks now.

Decker said the evacuation of residents in the neighborhood where the leak occurred was just a precaution.

He said the only reason gas company officials take so long to turn off the gas is because of state law, which says they have to notify other entities with lines, such as other utility companies and the city of Portales, of when they are going to be digging.