Section 114.07 - Repair or Elimination of Environmentally Significant Grade 3 Gas Leaks(1)Identification and Designation. (a) Each Gas Company shall designate Grade 3 gas leaks as environmentally significant if during the initial identification or the most recent annual survey if: 1. the highest barhole reading shows a gas-in-air reading of 50% or higher or2. the Leak Extent is 2,000 square feet or greater. A Gas Company is not precluded from proposing to the Department a more rigorous method of designating environmentally significant Grade 3 leaks based on field data or tested and proven technologies that may become available from time to time. Such proposals shall be submitted to the Department for approval.
(b) Each Gas Company with a GSEP shall incorporate the environmentally significant Grade 3 identification criteria into its GSEP and report the number of environmentally significant Grade 3 leaks on each length of GSEP-eligible pipe in its annual GREC filing.(2)Repair or Elimination. (a) Each Gas Company shall repair or eliminate environmentally significant Grade 3 gas leaks initially designated on or after January 1, 2018 as set out in 220 CMR 114.07(1)(a), provided that such repair or elimination does not compromise public safety, as follows: 1. Barhole-designated leaks shall be repaired or eliminated within two years of initial designation, provided that any such leaks located on a pipe scheduled for repair under the GSEP within five years shall be repaired or eliminated within three years of initial designation;2. Leak-extent designated leaks with a Leak Extent between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet shall be repaired or eliminated within two years of initial designation, provided that any such leaks located on a pipe scheduled for repair under the GSEP within five years shall be repaired or eliminated within three years of initial designation; and3. Leak-extent designated leaks with a Leak Extent greater than 10,000 square feet shall be repaired or eliminated within 12 months of initial designation, provided that any such leaks located on a pipe scheduled for repair under the GSEP within three years shall be repaired or eliminated within two years of initial designation.(b) The Department may, pursuant to 220 CMR 114.03, grant an exception to the time frames for repair in 220 CMR 114.07(2)(a) for environmentally significant Grade 3 leaks that are inaccessible, challenging to repair, or in a street under a paving moratorium.(c) A Gas Company may choose to cap its environmentally significant Grade 3 leak repairs in any one calendar year at 7% of its total Grade 3 leak inventory as indicated in the previous year's final quarterly leak report.(d) Each Gas Company shall file a plan with the Department to eliminate environmentally significant Grade 3 leaks existing prior to January 1, 2018 with its next Annual Service Quality Report, if required to file such report, or on March 1, 2020. The Gas Companies shall thereafter submit an update with each subsequent Annual Service Quality Report, or annually on March 1st, as applicable, until all such leaks are eliminated.(3) If a Gas Company uses the leak-extent method to designate Grade 3 leaks as environmentally significant, the Gas Company shall measure a statistically significant randomized sample of environmentally significant Grade 3 leaks prior to repair using the FLUX bar method for a period of one year following implementation of the leak-extent method. Each such Gas Company shall report the FLUX bar measurements in (a) its next Annual Service Quality Report, or(b) in a report to the Department on March 1st following the one-year period of measurement.(4) Redesignation. A Grade 3 leak initially designated as environmentally significant by the Barhole method may be redesignated to a standard Grade 3 leak if a subsequent annual survey measurement indicates that the leak no longer qualifies as environmentally significant in accordance with 220 CMR 114.07(1)(a).Adopted by Mass Register Issue 1387, eff. 3/22/2019.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1389, eff. 3/22/2019.