By the end of the month, Dallas County residents should be able to easily access information about what kind of gas pipes run through their neighborhoods.
"The more citizens know, the more they can have their voices be heard," explained Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who met with representatives of Atmos along with State Representative Rafael Anchia on Thursday.
Right now, there is an Atmos map showing that information available for the city of Dallas, but to get the information for the rest of the county, it would require a call to Atmos or search of records.
Jenkins said it's important to know the type of pipe because it says something about the age of the system. There were older steel pipes, which are more prone to leaks, in the northwest Dallas neighborhood where Linda Rogers was killed when her house exploded in February.
Jenkins says a map of pipe types for the entire county is a good start, but he would like to eventually have the map include known gas leaks, so help start a conversation about when to replace the lines.
"Our front line people for the safety of the neighborhood are the people who live there. Atmos will tell you, what they need is for people who smell gas to report it to them," Jenkins said. "So if that's our front line troops, why not give them all the information they need?"
Atmos said it will make the new Dallas County map available on its website.
