Girl Scout Silver Award Project Takes on Methane Leaks in Bedford

By Carina Panfili, Ameera Saba, and Sabrina Turner

The Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette Girl Scout can earn in sixth to eighth grade.

Editor’s Note: Bedford  Girl Scouts Sabrina Turner, Ameera Saba and Carina Panfili of Cadette Troop 85197 began their Silver Award project with a presentation to the Bedford Arbor Resources Committee (BARC), they then displayed a poster about their research at the Bedford Free Public Library, and will soon return to a BARC meeting to share their findings.

Higher awards challenge girls to take on big problems and create sustainable change locally. The big problem we wanted to focus on for our project is climate change. Specifically, the impact of excess methane in the atmosphere on climate change, the world around us, and Bedford in particular.

The first step to solving a problem is community awareness of the problem, and all people should be aware of the dangers that methane can pose to themselves and their families.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. Methane (CH₄) is a natural gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO₂). Knowing about methane leaks in your area can prevent something going wrong in your neighborhood. It is helpful to understand that not all methane is dangerous. The average background level (natural amount) of methane is only two parts per million (0.0002%).

Methane is found naturally in the air in small quantities; however, in recent years, the amount of methane has increased. The increase is caused by many different factors including burning fossil fuels, fracking for natural gas, livestock waste, fermenting rice fields, coal mining, and forest fires.

A source of excess methane in Bedford is through leaks in the natural gas pipes that distribute fuel to homes. Natural gas is delivered to many homes in Bedford through underground pipes and is used for cooking and heating homes. These leaks can cause the death of trees and shrubs, and create a risk of fire or explosion. Explosions can be caused by the pressure in the pipes increasing beyond what it is supposed to be and pushing gas into the house. In Bedford, the pressure in the pipes is sixty pounds per square inch (psi). Many pipes in Bedford are over 50 years old, which means they are prone to strains and cracking. Additionally, if streets have been recently paved, paving companies will sometimes cover the check valve (a device that controls the flow of gas that goes into the house). Without easy access to a check valve, when there is an accident it is almost impossible to stop the flow of natural gas into a house.

As part of our project, we borrowed special monitoring equipment to map the presence of methane in the air in Bedford from two scientists: Professor Nathan Phillips from Boston University and Bob Ackley from Gas Safety USA. The device is called a mobile Picarro Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer, and it works by bouncing a laser off mirrors to measure methane concentrations every second. With the help of our parents as drivers, we covered over 90% of Bedford’s roads, and the results can be seen at the Bedford Free Public Library in our display.  We also went to several locations in town and used a soil methane monitor to detect methane in areas with gas leaks as reported by the gas company.

Our research brought to light that older neighborhoods in Bedford have a higher number of gas leaks than the newer neighborhoods.

How you can help:

• Find the check valve on your street. If it has been paved over, call the DPW and tell them about the issue
• Find out if there is a leak by your house or the house of someone you know, inform them, and share this “How you can help” section
• Get involved locally with groups like Mothers Out Front (https://ma.mothersoutfront.org/bedford) to organize locally about climate change
• If you smell gas in your home, exit your house and call the fire department and the gas company and wait outside for them to arrive
• Call the gas companies to report leaks in the neighborhood. This should be done soon to keep everyone as safe as possible
• Raise awareness among people you know
• Call the gas companies to report leaks in the neighborhood. This should be done soon to keep everyone as safe as possible
• If you smell gas in your home, exit your house and call the fire department and the gas company and wait outside for them to arrive
• Find the check valve on your street. If it has been paved over, call the DPW and tell them about the issue