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Resident complains of low or no gas pressure during winter storms; parish staff outlines upgrades
Summary
A Houma-area resident described episodes of low or no natural gas pressure during recent storms; parish staff said engineering work is underway, including a main-line enlargement and booster-station upgrades, with completion expected before hurricane season or year-end depending on parts and schedule.
Mark Mayer, a resident of the Summerfield area, told the council he and neighbors experienced low or no natural gas pressure during a recent snowstorm and earlier storms, leaving some households without gas heat when outside temperatures fell to 18 degrees.
Mayer said generators and gas furnaces failed to operate in several homes and asked the council for updates on improvements. A parish staff member responded that the parish had selected an engineer and planned two projects: upgrading a 2-inch main on St. Charles to a 4-inch feed to increase volume, and upgrading two booster stations to increase pressure. The staff member said the main-line project is expected to be completed before the hurricane season and that parish engineers hoped to provide a tighter timetable for the booster-station work in coming weeks, subject to parts availability.
Councilmember Babin added that the upgrade approach pairs increased main-line volume with pump-station improvements to raise both volume and pressure. He noted the projects had funding and that engineers had been selected and were finalizing drawings before construction.
The presentation did not include specific construction start dates or per-household timelines; staff said they would release more detailed project timing when engineering drawings and parts schedules are finalized.
