REGINA – SaskEnergy has been providing natural gas to Regina Beach for 45 years; however, continual ground shifting is threatening its ability to safely continue service.
At a meeting Saturday morning, hundreds of residents learned the shifting could be a permanent problem.
About one month ago, SaskEnergy temporarily moved some natural gas lines above ground. Now, about two dozen homeowners are holding their breath, waiting to learn if they will be cut off.
READ MORE: Above-ground gas lines installed as temporary fix at Regina Beach
“In some areas of Regina Beach we’re seeing inches of movement, and our system just can’t continue to take that type of stress on it,” said Dave Burdeniuk with SaskEnergy. “At some point in July, or early August, we will stop serving them. We will give them as much notice as we can, so hopefully early in June.”
Mayor Cameron Hart said safety has to be the number one priority: “If they have to cut it off, they have to cut it off. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
While the affected homeowners remain hopeful the ground will soon settle, they’re contemplating their options.
“It wouldn’t be good in the winter, obviously, but we just use the cottage in the summer so we could winterize it and then, if we had to, convert everything to electric heat,” homeowner Frank Hart said.
His neighbor, Bob Jamieson, echoed the statement: “It wouldn’t be my first choice, because we’ve already got the established tools to heat the building, and of course there would be some added expense.”
SaskEnergy said it will help absorb some of the costs, though to what extent Burdeniuk has not said. “We will offer partial assistance in transitioning them to an alternate fuel source for their primary heat and water heating.”
Natural gas is not the only utility affected by the shifting. The town has also been the victim of numerous water main breaks and SaskPower is concerned about electrical connections.
For the last year, SaskPower has been carefully monitoring services in the area. Already, power poles are starting to slant and wires have had to be adjusted.
“The lines, if they’re too low, they can be touched by the individual and if they’re too tight, they’ll snap. So we’re trying to maintain the balance,” said Bob Klisowsky, the district operating supervisor. “If the poles lean too much, we’ll straighten them out.”
So far, the electrical infrastructure underground has been stable.