Natural gas smell in northeast Lincoln could take a week to fully dissipate

Equipment failure that caused a foul odor in the Waterford Estates area may take several days to fully dissipate according to Lincoln Fire & Rescue.

The malfunctioning equipment is able to odorize natural gas to detect leaks and too much of the material spilled out into gas lines and went into people’s homes. Hundreds of people in Waterford Estates complained of the smell. There was no danger to residents, but people like Darin Hall didn’t know that at the time.

“Really the only thing gas I have is the water heater and the furnace. I went down there and it seemed like it was strong down in the basement,” Hall said.

Black Hills Energy investigated several homes and found while the odorizing material was in abundance, actual gas levels were fine.

An LFR spokesperson said they will continue to respond to smells of natural gas in the area. 

While everything turned out to be fine, the situation still proved to be a learning experience.

“So in case we do or if somebody does have a true gas leak that we’re not wasting time calling the crews out again, but they did a good job, the fire department came out quick,” Hall said.

Lincoln Fire & Rescue is urging residents to call 911 or Black Hills (1-888-890-5554) if they detect a natural gas smell in the residence. 

FR will subsequently send a resource to monitor for gas in the home.