January 17, 2025

Town of Franklinton Press Release - Re: “Rotten Egg” Smell

Press Release from the Public Works Office

“An excessive amount of the chemical compound mercaptan has been added to The Town of Franklinton’s natural gas by a contractor, resulting in a significantly stronger, unpleasant "rotten egg" smell than normal, often indicating a potential gas leak even when there isn't one, due to the over-odorization of the gas; while mercaptan is added for safety to allow people to detect gas leaks, high concentrations can be overpowering and unnecessary.  

Mercaptan is the smelly yet harmless chemical that’s added to natural gas for safety reasons. This over odorization will quickly dissipate as the gas in the system is used up. The odorant can only be smelled if there is a release of unburned gas, like from a leak or an improper burner adjustment. Out of an abundance of caution, please check for leaks if you smell gas. The superintendent said. "If you think you smell gas, as always, we ask that you please call Public Works at 985-839-9416 or after hours at 985-839-4474, so that we can have a highly trained technician respond and investigate." The Superintendent said it will still respond to every odor call just to be on the safe side.

The mayor said, "Thank you to the local fire departments and emergency services teams for their continued support and care of our customers." I apologize that we have not been able to update our Facebook page with communication because we cannot access it at this time. We have reached out to our IT department for assistance in resolving this matter.”

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