Gas leaks detected in Germantown, Collierville

On Tuesday, Germantown was one of three Shelby County locations in which residents recently reported a strong odor of natural gas.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water representatives said that they would “perform routine maintenance involving mercaptan at three natural gas facilities on June 22.”
The aroma was detected at 2121 N. Germantown Road, near Chimney Rock Blvd.
The locations include:
• Germantown Gate Station (2121 N. Germantown Road)
• Collierville Gate Station (791 S. Mount Pleasant)
• Airways Gate Station (5539 Airways Blvd.)
“This routine work will begin at 7 a.m. and last throughout the day,” representatives stated. “If we are unable to complete work on Wednesday, crews will complete the work on Thursday morning.”
A statement released on Tuesday stated that the “public in the surrounding areas may smell mercaptan in the air.”
Mercaptan is the chemical odorant that MLGW adds to natural gas to give it the “rotten egg/sulfur smell” so that it can be easily detected.
Depending on wind conditions, residents and businesses in the vicinity of the three areas listed above could smell this “strong, sulfuric odor” during the day.
MLGW serves more than 440,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.
MLGW gas leak surveyors often use their own personal vehicles.
“All personal vehicles used by surveyors will have clearly marked company signs that indicate their company name.”
MLGW is required by law to survey (for gas leaks) all of its gas facilities in certain intervals every year.