By Gari Voss
News came on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 2:40pm that a natural gas leak had occurred in the Allegan County Game Area in the area of 57th Street and 122nd Avenue. Approximately 5,200 residents and business lost gas service, including the City of Fennville, Clyde Township, Ganges Township, Saugatuck Township, the City of Douglas, and the City of Saugatuck. Restoration of service was unknown.
The unexpected suspension of service occurred when a team from the DNR was conducting a hydrology construction project in the Allegan State Game Area. A contractor on the DNR-supported project accidentally struck a high-pressure gas pipeline. The DNR crew immediately notified Michigan Gas Utilities who sprang into action.
“The DNR is deeply grateful for the swift actions of local emergency responders,” came the statement from the DNR. “We also sincerely appreciate the gas companies’ quick response and ongoing efforts to recover and secure the pipeline. We recognize that this incident has caused significant inconvenience for residents, businesses and the surrounding community.”
By 2:42pm, Allegan County Sheriff’s Deputies and Michigan State Police Troopers had responded to the report of a major natural gas line leak. Clyde and Fennville Fire Departments were on the scene assessing the affected area of the leak. The gas company was in route with technicians to repair the leak.
The roads in the area were closed, and several residents were evacuated. The area affected included 57th St, from E. Main St. to 120th Ave. in the City of Fennville (Clyde Township) to 122nd Ave. from 55th St. to 58th St. in Clyde Township and road remained closed until the leak had been contained.
The only way to contain the gas was to close the valve closest to the leak and begin the process of repair. Simultaneously, the Michigan Gas Utilities crews had established a base at the Fennville City Hall and were traveling across the county shutting off all meters of the affected homes and businesses.
TC Energy worked on completing repairs to a section of the ANR Pipeline system that carries natural gas all the way from Canada to Michigan customers. The crew worked on the damaged transmission line through Wednesday night and into Thursday to repair the affected section. Customers were informed that once the line was repaired, a number of safety checks would be performed. Only then could the process of turning the gas back on begin.
While the natural gas line was being attended to, the emergency response teams were making arrangements to care for the customers who were without gas. Fortunately, customers still had electricity, and the weather was not terribly cold. But those who relied on gas for cooking, heat, and hot water needed assistance.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office received assistance from Allegan County Emergency Management, Michigan State Police, Clyde and Fennville Fire Departments, and the Red Cross. The Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at Third Coast Community Church in Saugatuck to provide essential services and support. Transportation assistance was offered through the Allegan County Interurban Transit Authority. In addition, a list of lodgings and restaurants in close proximity but not affected by the outage were provided.
As restoration was approaching completion, Michigan Gas continually cautioned customers to NOT turn on their own gas. Over 300 utility workers would be following protocol and connecting homes and businesses in a sequential manner.
A map was made available, and restoration began in phases. One phase must be completed before the next would begin. Phase I had two parts occurring simultaneously – repair the line and manually turn off each individual service at the meter. Phase II required repressurizing the system zone by zone over several hours.
Phase III involved having workers visit each residence and business to turn meters back on and re-light all gas appliances. Meters could be turned on outside, but if residents were not home, numbers were left to call for assistance in re-lighting appliances.
By Friday, April 11th, Phase I had been completed, and Phase II was estimated for completion by 7pm. Holland Aquatic Center was offering showering facilities for free with proof of residence.
Phase III had 39 zones with zone 1 beginning at the break in the line and fanning out. The City of Fennville was the first to receive visits from workers on April 11th from 7pm-midnight. Workers continued connecting service to all customers well into the night, and all service was back online sometime during Sunday, April 13th.
The crews thanked all the residents and business owners who graciously supplied food and gave thanks as restoration was completed. Appreciation goes to Fennville City Administrator Katie Beemer and their City Hall for offering space and keeping information flowing on how restoration was progressing. Thanks also goes to the first responders from the Allegan County and State of Michigan officers and the Clyde and Fennville Fire Departments.
