Oil pipeline bursting in Romeoville.

Oil on the street.

Oil in a pond threatening to overflow.

Thirty inch gas pipeline blowing up in California.

40-60 years old.

People killed.

People running for their lives, a wall of fire pursuing them.

Some who lived nearby aid they smelled gas before the massive explosion.

Possible corrosion of the pipe, said National Transportation Safety Board member Christopher Hart.

McHenry County has pipelines that age. I remember some being installed while I was McHenry County Treasurer from 1966-1970.

After I wrote this article and discussed it with an engineer friend who had worked in the oil fields, I was told not to worry, because there are “pigs” that rumble through the pipelines searching for weak spots. Any found are repaired, he said.

Below are the gas pipelines in McHenry County.

Gas pipelines in McHenry County. Click to enlarge.

If you live near one and smell natural gas, let the California experience be instructive.  Call authorities immediately.

Below is a map of liquid pipelines in McHenry County:

Liquid pipelines in McHenry County. One runs parallel to the Fox River.