This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An out-of-town equipment failure that left southeastern Utah's Monticello without natural gas has been addressed and all customers were expected to be back in service by nightfall Friday.
"The plan, beginning at 8 a.m., was for our folks to go door-to-door throughout the day turning the gas back on and relighting furnaces and appliances," said Questar Gas spokesman Darren Shepherd, noting that most public and some business buildings had been restored to service overnight.
The outage began about 9 a.m. Thursday after Questar crews received numerous service complaints. They soon discovered that pressure in the city's gas transmission lines had dropped precipitously.
By Thursday afternoon, technicians traced the problem to an interstate pipeline miles away. Questar contacted the company that operates the pipeline, which was able to correct the problem — a valve on the interstate line.
Crews were dispatched to turn off the gas house-by-house, business-by-business as a safety precaution. Temporary supplies of gas were brought for a limited number of emergency and public safety facilities, but most Monticello residents had to endure a cold night.
The city's north LDS Church building served as a shelter for Monticello residents without heat on a night when temperatures dipped well below freezing.
Twitter: @remims