U of A Notifying Local Leaders About Campus Natural Gas Pipeline

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas mailed information concerning its natural gas transmission pipeline to Fayetteville and Washington County officials last week. This annual mailing is a part of the overall gas pipeline public awareness effort by the university to educate and inform people who may live and work on or around the south side of the U of A campus. The mailing and enclosed materials provide information about the pipeline, its location, and what to do in the event of an accident or emergency involving the pipeline.

Construction contractors who work for the university are also being informed of the pipeline’s location through the Washington and Madison County Damage Prevention Coalition, the Arkansas Regulatory Partnership Program and through ongoing campus construction coordination efforts.

Faculty, staff and students will be contacted in the fall upon return to campus. Information is also being provided to students who are new to the university through the summer orientation process.

The natural gas transmission pipeline runs underground on the south side of the campus, from near Nettleship Street and Eastern Avenue, east to the Central Heating Plant located on Dickson Street. The pipeline began carrying natural gas in February 2016, and it provides natural gas for the university’s combustion gas turbine generator and campus comfort heating (see map). The pipeline replaced a Black Hills Energy Arkansas distribution line that had served the University Central Heating Plant as the primary gas source since 1964.

This summer, the university’s Office of Emergency Management will host an emergency preparedness exercise that will include university staff, area emergency management professionals, along with fire, police and medical first responders, as required by federal and state regulations.

“Natural gas pipelines generally have very few issues,” said Scott Turley, director of campus utilities. “Our highest priority is to address safety, so if there was an issue, the appropriate agencies and campus departments would be ready to respond. The university provides this notification through a variety of channels at different points during the year, so we can reach a variety of target audiences – faculty and staff, students, and the public – in addition to our list of local officials.”

Notification will include a message, a map showing where the pipeline runs, and a brochure containing information about the pipeline, how to recognize a gas leak and what to do if there is one.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.