NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Update: The New Mexico Gas Company says odorant levels have been restored to detectable conditions
The New Mexico Gas Company is warning people in the Questa area that they may not be able to tell if there’s a gas leak. Monitors in the distribution system detected a lack of odorant. That’s what gives natural gas its distinctive rotten-egg smell, without it, the gas is odorless.
“If you can’t smell the rotten egg odor, then we just need to advise the customers in that area that you can’t rely exclusively on your sense of smell to detect a potential natural gas leak,” said Tim Korte, New Mexico Gas Company.
Crews are flushing the odorless gas out of the system between Questa and Red River. They hope to have it back to normal within the next day or two. In the meantime, officials urge people to watch for other signs of a gas leak including hissing sounds, bubbles in standing water, and patches of vegetation suddenly dying. The gas company is investigating what went wrong.