MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV) — Crews installing fiber internet in McGregor have struck multiple gas and water lines in recent weeks, prompting safety concerns and responses from city officials and Atmos Energy.
- Construction crews working for Astound Fiber have struck several gas and water lines in McGregor over the past few weeks.
- City officials and Atmos Energy confirm multiple incidents, sharing that the company has responded to damages.
- Despite the issues, McGregor plans to continue working with Astound Fiber as the company has adjusted its approach and remains cooperative.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The city of McGregor is seeing a spike in gas lines being struck throughout the community over the past few weeks.
"We're trying to protect ourselves, our people and our lines,” said McGregor City Manager Kevin Evans.
City manager Kevin Evans says most of the incidents have been caused by construction crews working for Astound Fiber, the company installing a fiber-optic network expected to bring high-speed internet to nearly 2,000 homes and 160 businesses in our community.
"They came in with a lot of crews, it was actually a little more than we could keep up with,” said Evans.
Posts from the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department's Facebook page show several gas line strikes, including one behind McGregor High School.
One frustrated neighbor commenting, "This is getting ridiculous. This company needs to get it together."
25 News reached out to Atmos Energy, which responded to several of the incidents.
They sent us a statement which reads:
"A construction crew doing work unrelated to Atmos Energy has been working in McGregor and damaged a natural gas pipeline on several occasions over the past week. In each case, Atmos Energy’s highly trained technicians were on scene to make the necessary repairs and restored natural gas service as safely and efficiently as possible.
The most common cause of outside natural gas leaks is digging or construction that disturbs natural gas pipelines. If you nick, scrape, or dent a natural gas pipeline, call 911 and then call Atmos Energy’s emergency number at 866-322-8667 so we can inspect the pipeline and make any needed repairs. Even minor damage can weaken a pipeline and lead to a future leak.
State laws require homeowners, excavation companies, and contractors to call 811 a few business days before digging. When using this free service, the caller is connected to a local call center that notifies area utility companies of the location where digging will occur. Professional locators then arrive at the digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both."
The city says of all the struck lines, two were mismarked, and one was a private line with an unknown location.
Despite the issues, there are currently no plans to halt work with Astound Fiber.
"I think the company has adjusted the way they work. We're working with them, they've been very good at adjusting and taking care of damages and trying to work with us ahead of time,” said Evans.
The city of McGregor tells 25 News they will continue to monitor work by Astound closely.
25 News reached out to Astound Fiber for comment, we are waiting to hear back.
