Smelling natural gas? Columbia Gas of Ohio says too much smelly additive added to lines
Fire departments across a large section of northern and central Ohio were reportedly busy Wednesday night answering calls for suspected natural gas leaks.
It turns out the culprit for Columbia Gas of Ohio customers was stinky gas in the lines coming into homes and businesses in some counties.
Columbia Gas said Wednesday night that the culprit was "an overabundance of the additive mercaptan added by an upstream supplier" that raised alarms for customers who noticed the smell.
The utility says it has been fielding calls from concerned customers.
"We are continuing to respond to numerous gas odor calls in our Northeast Ohio service area," Columbia Gas said.
More: Mansfield fire Chief reports odor of natural gas in city
The utility says mercaptan is considered harmless and is added to make it easier to smell and detect natural gas.
The additive gives natural gas, which is odorless, a distinctive rotten egg smell.
"Although we have identified this odor source, it is important to contact us at 1-800-344-4077 if you believe you are smelling natural gas," the utility says.
For more information, go to https://www.columbiagasohio.com/safety/natural-gas-safety.
Columbia Gas has some 1.4 million customers across Ohio serving customers in northern Ohio in counties including Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Wayne, Stark and Richland counties.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Columbia Gas of Ohio customers complain of natural gas odors in homes
