Metropolitan Utilities District is being criticized for a potentially dangerous installation in a neighborhood with a nearby school. Not only is a resident calling it a bad idea, so is an MUD board member.

A new neighbor at 36th and Curtis in Omaha has Tiffany Moore worried. “Yeah, that it can explode or even if not, it’s not settling to have kids around it.”

Last month, MUD installed a regulator where natural gas comes in at 125 pounds per square inch before the pressure is reduced by one-third.

“MUD did not handle this well,” says Dave Friend, an MUD board member, who says Tiffany and her landlord should have been warned the regulator would be installed on a utility right-of-way next door. “I don't know what it is or what could happen,” says Tiffany.

It’s a natural gas installation that might make Homeland Security cringe. There are barriers to protect the gas regulator from a careening vehicle, but what about a metal thief or a curious teenager? A school is a block away and kids walk by every day.

“I share your concerns about what would happen and the fact that it’s exposed,” says Friend.

The landlord wants MUD to buy the rental house. “Who is going to rent the property, who is gong to purchase the property?” asks property owner Jonathan Nash. “No one.”

Friend promises Tiffany that the regulator will be made more secure. “If you're willing to let us fix this, maybe save you the headache of a move.” Tiffany is thinking about her two young children. “I don't think I want to stay here anymore.”

After Fact Finders got involved, MUD sent out a crew to put a fence around the pipes. What you don't see is that the valves were turned off. Friend says the line is no longer charged and natural gas has been purged from the pipes. He adds engineers have been directed to look for a safer solution.