June 10, 2015 - Black Hills Energy is repairing the natural gas odorizing equipment in Gretna that lead to wide-spread reports of gas leaks in the area after a faulty piece of equipment released an excess amount of a harmless odorant early today.

Natural gas is naturally odor free, so a harmless chemical named mercaptan is added to make leaks easier to detect. The odor is pungent and commonly compared to rotten eggs.

"Safety is our highest priority and we investigate all gas leak reports even though we knew the calls were probably generated by the odorant, not a natural gas leak," said Kevin Jarosz, senior operations manager for Black Hills Energy. "The odorizer is being repaired, but we still encourage anyone who thinks they smell natural gas to call us immediately. No one should ever hesitate to report a suspected gas leak."

Natural gas is safe, reliable energy, but incidents can occur. If you do suspect a natural gas leak:

  • Leave the building or area immediately and tell others to leave too. Alert your neighbors..
  • From a safe distance, call 911 and Black Hills Energy's emergency number: 800-694-8989. Never assume someone else has reported a natural gas leak.
  • On the way out, do not flip light switches, open windows, ignite a flame, use a cell phone or other electronics that could cause a spark of static electricity
  • Never attempt to repair a natural gas leak, and do not attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off.
  • Wait for Black Hills Energy and other emergency responders to give the all-clear before acting further.
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