SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) released a statement Tuesday saying parts of Southeast Shelby County near their substation on Winchester Road could smell like rotten eggs Wednesday morning, but it's all a part of routine maintenance.
MLGW said they will perform the routine gas maintenance at their substation at 9645 Winchester Road, west of Houston Levee Road, around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, and could take up to 90 minutes.
People in the surrounding area may smell mercaptan in the air, MLGW said. Mercaptan is the chemical odorant that MLGW adds to natural gas to give it the rotten egg/sulfur smell so it can be easily detected.
Depending on the wind/weather conditions, MLGW said residents and businesses in the vicinity could smell this strong, sulfuric odor during the morning.
While the gas will smell foul, it won't pose a health risk at the low levels it'll be used, according to the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
It still might be a good idea to avoid the immediate area, for your nose's sake.
