Gas shut-off valve installed near dam

 Alarmed resident leads to future planning

 By Debbie Lowe

Staff writer

  A Thursday morning telephone call from an alarmed Oakdale area resident resulted in county officials taking note of the need to act before a problem could develop. Although no threat to the safety of the Oakdale residents was discovered, steps were taken to prevent a disaster and plans for additional safety measures were made.

“There was no gas line rupture this morning,” Carroll County Emergency Management Agency Director Dave McDowell said Thursday afternoon. “There was no flood damage noted to the gas line.”

A shut-off valve for the main gas line was installed by NIPSCO south of CR725N. and east of CR1200W. (located before the bridge) Thursday morning. According to McDowell the new valve installation was done as a precautionary measure in the event the gas line, which runs under the bridge, was damaged by flood waters.

“There is no reason to believe there is a problem now,” McDowell said. “But it seems prudent not to wait until one develops.”

He said it was a good time to do the work because the road was closed to traffic due to flooding, the ground was soft for digging, and it was a bright day. 

McDowell explained because of the Thursday morning call, he would pursue funding from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for “thorough bridge and dam” inspections. He said it made sense to evaluate the structural integrity of both, given the amount of stress from three major floods to each within the last 15 months.

“I’m not a bridge inspector or an engineer, but I think it would be an advisable precaution to take,” he said.

McDowell further warned residents a rise in the river water level is expected in the next three days due to rain water traveling down from the Buffalo area. He said no “significant bump” was expected and the level would fall quickly.