06/22/08 — Saturday was the second night in a row the smell of rotten eggs permeated the air in parts of Meadville for several hours.
The odor may have dissipated, but the mystery surrounding its cause still lingers.
The stench of hydrogen
sulfide came out of Meadville’s sanitary sewer system for several hours Saturday night in an area bounded by Baldwin, Terrace, Spring streets and Glenwood Avenue. The same thing had happened in the same area Friday night.
“We have no clue,” Lt. Ryan Carlson of Meadville Central Fire Department said Saturday night following the evening’s incident.
“We still don’t know what caused it,” Capt. Evan Hasko of Meadville Central Fire Department said of Friday’s incident. “We’re lucky it’s staying within the sewer system and not going into people’s homes.”
“We’re going to have to regroup Monday and see what we have,” said Joe Chriest, Meadville’s city manager, who was called to the scene Saturday.
One person was taken to Meadville Medical Center for evaluation during Saturday night’s incident and still was undergoing treatment for a respiratory ailment as of press time.
No other injuries were reported in either incident and no one was transported to the hospital from Friday’s incident.
Hydrogen sulfide has the odor of rotting eggs and can be lethal in concentrated doses.
Emergency personnel were called the scene just after 6 p.m. Saturday after residents along Glenwood Avenue noticed the odor. Sanitary sewers were flushed with water until the hydrogen sulfide levels dropped back to zero around 9:15 p.m. Saturday.
On Friday, emergency personnel had been called to the same area around 7:30 p.m. and stayed until 11:16 p.m. before levels of hydrogen sulfide finally had dropped back to zero after flushing the sanitary sewers in the area with water.
Friday and Saturday were the third and fourth times the odor has been noticed in the same area of the city within the past year. It was noticed both in June 2007 and August 2007.
The 2007 incidents were so bad some homes were evacuated and a few residents were hospitalized.
On both Friday and Saturday emergency personnel went door-to-door urging residents to leave the area. Hasko estimated between 50 and 75 homes and apartments were in the area.
At least nine people went to a safety area set up in the parking lot of the Penn Plaza Friday night, but there were no illnesses.
On Saturday night, about 20 people came to the safety area at the Penn Plaza. They were transported by Corey Limousine Service to shelter at the West Mead 2 Volunteer Fire Depart-ment when thunderstorms moved through the area.
In the incidents both Friday and Saturday and the June 2007 incident, emergency responders detected potentially lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide emanating from the manholes in the area.
Produced naturally by decaying organic matter, hydrogen sulfide is released from sewage sludge, liquid manure, sulfur hot springs and natural gas, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Federal guidelines call for a maximum of 20 parts per million as a safe level while 30 parts per million is the level at which emergency action should be taken. A reading of 100 parts per million is considered dangerous to life and health. Not only can the gas explode, the stench can cause loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.
In June 2007, a level of 499 parts per million was detected in the sewers; both Friday and Saturday nights that level reached more than 500 parts per million at a manhole in the Baldwin Street Extension area near The Junction tavern and Weber-Harris Ford before receding.
Local News
Lethal stench returns ... again
- Local News
-
-
Completion of $6.8M expansion marks C&J's 50th year
With its 50th year in business under way — and business continuing to boom — a local high-tech tooling and plastic parts manufacturer appears at the ready for an even higher-tech future.
-
Cochranton Carl says winter will be done soon
So here’s the deal. Some groundhogs — animals christened Marmota monax by the Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1758 and also known colloquially as woodchucks, whistle-pigs and land-beavers — are remarkably high maintenance.
-
City council hears what applicants have to offer
Seven applicants for the vacant seat on Meadville City Council interviewed with council members during an extended public session. Council members have 30 days to select a replacement for Chandler Mason, who won a place on the November ballot in the May primary, won again in November, and then opted to not take the seat.
-
Second interviews set for two council hopefuls
Nine applications were received, seven applicants were interviewed and two have been asked to return for a second round of talks as the search for Meadville City Council’s tie-breaking fifth member swings into high gear.
-
Next stop Carnegie Hall for Maplewood singer
Michael Miller stands alone on the stage of Ford Chapel on the campus of Allegheny College. He draws in a breath, opens his mouth and, with no visible effort, fills the entire room with the sound of his voice.
-
Scholarships helping women get back in the classroom
“As long back as I can remember, there’s been this little voice inside me that says, ‘You can do more,’ ” Vanessa Shaffer recalled. “I’d done a brilliant job in ignoring that voice — and I was ready to give it an ear.”
-
Plan unveiled that could save more than $20 million
A citizens’ advisory committee recommends Crawford County split almost all of its courthouse functions among two sites — the former Talon Inc. Plant No. 5 on upper Arch Street and the present Crawford County Courthouse in downtown Meadville — and at a 40 percent lower cost than previously anticipated.
-
Cochranton Carl now on Facebook and ready to forecast
As the annual Groundhog Day gets near, one local weather-watching critter is starting to cause a stir on Facebook.
-
DA: Argument shows accused killer's ill will
A verbal argument related to a drug store robbery is what Crawford County District Attorney Francis Schultz alleges led a Linesville man to murder a Linesville-area couple almost two years ago.
-
Accident closes Route 322 in western Crawford County
Route 322 is closed from West State Road/Turnersville Road in West Shenango Township to Water Street in Jamestown Borough, Mercer County, due to an accident that downed utility lines at County Line Road in Jamestown. The road is expected to reopen by noon today, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Completion of $6.8M expansion marks C&J's 50th year
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
