Reports Of Gas Odor Across Austin Blamed On Outlying Oil Fields

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Numerous residents on Tuesday called to report the odor of gas across Austin that fire officials have blamed on oil fields in outlying communities.

"Nothing has been found by any of the units for the calls we've responded to," fire officials wrote on Twitter. "Appears to be moving north into the Pflugerville area. Most likely odor from Lockhart/Luling oil fields.

Patch will update as more details are known.

The issue is likely being exacerbated given winds of up to 10 miles per hour coming in from the south where the likely source of the odor is located. The National Weather Service reported the wind speeds for Tuesday earlier in the day as part of their daily forecast:

The odor could get stronger later this week. Assuming oil and gas production continues at the same levels, Austin residents could detect the odor given forecast southerly wind gusts that could reach 50 miles per hour by Thursday, according to the NWS. The forecast calls for very strong, blustery winds amid a cold front by then, with wind speeds between 25 to 40 miles per hour that could reach speeds of 50 miles per hour on Thursday. Friday also will be marked by strong breezes, forecasters predict.

In Luling, according to TexasDrilling.com, there are 312 producing leases; 53 producing operators; 4,817 drilled wells; 91,425 barrels of oil produced as of July 2018; and 2,659 metric cubic feet of gas produced as of the latter time period. Lockhart is a smaller player, according to the site, with 175 producing leases; 39 producing operators; 2,980 drilled wells; 13,674 barrels of oil produced in July; and another 30 metric cubic feet of gas produced in the same time period.

Located in Caldwell County, Lockhart is located some 33 miles south of Austin. Straddling both Caldwell and Guadalupe counties, Luling is further south about 47 miles south of Austin.

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