Natural gas restoration underway for homes in Allegan County after pipeline damage

FENNVILLE, Mich. — Natural gas is steadily being restored to homes in Allegan County after thousands of residents were left without it since Wednesday due to pipeline damage reportedly caused by a Department of Natural Resources contractor.

The transmission pipeline was restored by TC Energy just before 6:45 pm on Friday, according to Michigan Gas Utilities and operator TC Energy, allowing utility crews to begin restoring the crucial amenity home by home as of Friday evening.

Crews immediately prioritized restoration at vital locations, such as hospitals, followed by full restoration efforts of homes and businesses down the line — starting in Fennville where the provider pipeline is located, according to Brendan Conway of Michigan Gas Utilities.

Full restoration will take at least a couple of days, according to Conway, who told News Channel 3: “It’s pretty slow because it’s door to door. It’s almost like hand to hand combat, but that’s what it takes.”

One of the first homes to have their natural gas restored, Jim Kramer, a Fennville resident, told News Channel 3: “I was lucky.”

Kramer said his family had electric heaters to stay warm, but “doing dishes, bathing, laundry — all that comes to an end.” He hopes restoration will happen quickly for people who it’s been even harder on, including families with young kids and older folks.

The high-pressure pipeline was “unintentionally struck,” according to a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), by a contractor during a construction project in Allegan County.

We recognize that this incident has caused significant inconvenience for residents, businesses and the surrounding community. We plan to thoroughly review the actions of the contractor to ensure the highest safety standards and to prevent to the greatest extent possible incidents like this from happening in the future.

The large crew behind this restoration effort is made up of 200 people from several states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. Crews will work up to a 16-hour day, starting again at 7 a.m. on Saturday, and every day until the work is finished, according to Conway.

“We want them to know this has been a nonstop effort on everyone’s behalf,” Conway said in regard to the thousands of people still living without natural gas.

The Michigan DNR issued the following statement in regard to the damaged pipeline:

On April 9, during a hydrology construction project within the Allegan State Game Area, a contractor on a DNR supported project unintentionally struck a high-pressure gas pipeline. Emergency personnel, including local fire and police departments, were immediately notified and responded quickly to secure the site. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The pipeline owners and servicers were also contacted right away. The DNR is deeply grateful for the swift actions of local emergency responders. We also sincerely appreciate the gas companies’ quick response and ongoing efforts to recover and secure the pipeline. We recognize that this incident has caused significant inconvenience for residents, businesses and the surrounding community. We plan to thoroughly review the actions of the contractor to ensure the highest safety standards and to prevent to the greatest extent possible incidents like this from happening in the future.