#MiddleburyCT #Noise #GasCompresor
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Middlebury residents were among those startled awake by a deafening noise about 1:35 a.m. on Sunday, July 12. They say the noise went on for 30 to 45 minutes. The noise came from Enbridge’s Algonquin Gas Compressor (AGC) on Woodruff Hill Road in Oxford. Residents also smelled gas, a smell that lingered the next day.
Bill Stowell, a Middlebury resident who lives near the compressor station said, “I got blasted out of my bed. I’ve never, ever, heard this noise. I would have said there was a jet plane on my deck.” Stowell, who served aboard aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy, knows the sound of jet engines.
He said what really scared him was that his house was vibrating. He called his daughter, who lives nearby, and she said her house was vibrating, too. Stowell said the deafening noise went on for 40-45 minutes and he was awake for a long time afterward wondering whether the noise originated from the CPV Towantic Energy Center or the gas compressor station.
He asked his son, a volunteer firefighter, if the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department had been notified. They had not. As he talked to more people the next day, he learned that high velocity natural gas was released, there was no technician on site, and one had to arrive before the gas release could be stopped. A post on FB reported the police scanner said a relief valve had gotten stuck in the open position.
Stowell said he had been afraid there would be an explosion. Middlebury resident Ray Pietrorazio has long expressed concern about both the CPV Towantic Energy Plant and the compressor station. He said the cloud of released gas, given the right conditions, could have exploded, burning down homes along with the people inside. “If that ever ignited,” he said, “it would have appeared someone had dropped a nuclear bomb. I can’t think of a more serious situation than a stuck open relief valve. They’re blessed that nothing happened.”
When we reached out to Enbridge Spokesperson Melissa Sherburne through the Enbridge website asking for a company statement on what happened, she responded with this:
“On July 12th, Algonquin Gas Transmission experienced an unplanned outage at the Oxford Compressor Station in Connecticut. Field resources were quickly mobilized to minimize impacts to customers, and the station was safely returned to normal operations the same day.”
We sent a response asking for confirmation that a relief valve got stuck open and remained open for 30 to 45 minutes, during which time natural gas was being released into the air. We also asked about procedures for notifying first responders and nearby residents when an incident occurs and how many cubic feet of natural gas were released by the open valve.
Enbridge responded: “The facility experienced an operational issue and initiated an emergency shutdown as designed. At no time was there any threat to public safety.
“As part of the shutdown process, natural gas was safely vented through engineered systems specifically designed to manage pressure and support safe operations. Separately, the noises reported by area residents occurred during the controlled process of returning the facility to normal operating conditions following the shutdown. While both were associated with the same event, the natural gas venting and the subsequent noise were distinct operational activities.
“Algonquin Gas Transmission (AGT) personnel contacted the Oxford Fire Chief, explained the situation, and advised that qualified personnel had been dispatched to the site and that the event was under control. AGT personnel arrived on site shortly after that communication. Local emergency response personnel remained informed of facility conditions throughout the event.
“Safety remains our highest priority. We are committed to the safe and reliable operation of our facilities and to maintaining open communication with regulators, emergency responders, and the communities we serve.”
Our next email, sent on July 27 at 4:06 p.m., asked for specific answers to two questions – ‘Was the “operational issue” on July 12 a relief valve stuck in the open position?’ and “Was the relief valve that stuck open replaced with a new relief valve?” As of August 1, 2026, we have not received a response to this email.
The Connecticut Sierra Club did not describe the “operational issue” in benign terms. It posted on Instagram, “Early Sunday morning the compressor station in Oxford – which regulates pressure in a pipeline through releasing methane gas into the community – had what’s called a blowdown, a rapid release of methane all at once. Blowdowns are dangerous for air quality and health, particularly for children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions.”
The July 12 incident took place while Algonquin Gas Transmission had an application before CT DEEP to renew the Oxford compressor station’s operating permit. Action Network noted, “Compressor stations are highly toxic facilities that burn gas in order to create pressure along interstate pipeline systems.” and urged the public to send in written comments objecting to the renewal. Those comments had to be submitted by July 19.
We will continue to look into this situation and will report further findings in future articles.
