Lang
1/7/24
City officials in Durant say they’re working with state agencies to clean up the source of a terrible smell that has plagued the city for most of the last week.
The Durant fire department was paged just before 9:00 Tuesday morning for a natural gas smell in the 100 block of 5th Street. The smell was also detected on the 100 block of 4th Street. The cause was a subject who was rinsing out what they thought was an LP tank. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was contacted and informed of the situation.
On Wednesday, it was determined that the odor was due to a small release of mercaptan, the odorant used in natural gas. As mercaptan on its own is very pungent, officials say a small release can have widespread ill effects.
The DNR ordered the property owner to excavate the affected soil and remove it to outside of the city limits. However, doing so stirred the odor back up, causing the smell to temporarily intensify.
The excavated soil has since been disposed of at a municipal landfill in accordance with Iowa DNR recommendations.
Methyl mercaptan can become a health concern in confined, poorly ventilated spaces where high concentrations can build up, typically in occupational settings. It is not believed the Durant spill was a significant public health risk.
Any further updates will be posted on the official “City of Durant Iowa” Facebook page.