Transco Says ‘Gas Smell’ Near Roseland Compressor Station Isn’t Hazardous

ROSELAND, NJ — If you smell gas in the air in the Essex County area, it’s probably not an emergency situation. That odor is part of "planned maintenance" being conducted at the Transco Compressor Station 303 in Roseland until May 22, company officials say.

On Monday, the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company (Transco) began performing system modification work at its compressor station at 563 Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland, according to a company statement.

“As part of this work, periodic planned releases of minor amounts of natural gas will be necessary,” Transco stated. “Air movers will be turned on to provide a safe working environment. It is expected that the air movers will operate during all venting operations. Odorant releases from air moving operations are not anticipated but are possible.”

The Roseland station is located on Eagle Rock Avenue, a short distance from the Essex County Environmental Center.

According to local activist group Roseland Against The Compressor Station, the gas pipeline that the compressor station is part of runs under several Essex County towns including Roseland, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Clifton, Bloomfield, Nutley, Belleville, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Ridgefield and North Bergen, as well as the campus of Montclair State University.

The pipeline system connects the Northeastern markets with natural gas from the Marcellus Shale Formation, some of which is extracted using the controversial process known as “fracking," activists say.

• See related article: Roseland Activists Want Answers About Pipeline Compressor Station

Patch reached out to Transco for more details about the work and received the following reply from a spokesman.

“Between April 24 and May 22, Transco will be performing maintenance work at our Compressor Station 303 in Roseland. Before we begin this work, we will need to take the facility offline and periodically remove minor amounts of natural gas trapped in the facility. This is done through a safe, controlled venting process.

"While the maintenance work will take a month, the venting will only last a few days before the maintenance work begins. Both processes could generate gas odor.

“Natural gas is composed primarily of methane, a naturally-occurring substance which is colorless, odorless, tasteless. It is the same type of natural gas used in peoples’ homes for cooking and other applications. Methane gas is lighter than air, so when it is released it rises and dissipates into the atmosphere. It is non-toxic and occurs naturally during decomposition. The smell often associated with natural gas is a chemical odorant which is added for safety, so that leaks, for example, can be easily identified.

“This type of controlled venting is very common in our industry and does not pose a hazard to our neighbors. As a further safety precaution, after all natural gas is safely evacuated, air movers will be placed at either end of the facility to ensure no methane is present before we begin our maintenance activity. At this point there will be no natural gas in the facility, even though the smell of gas odorant may still be present.

“We want our immediate neighbors, emergency responders and others to be aware of the activity because it is possible that they may periodically smell gas and we want to ensure they understand it is not an emergency situation. What they are smelling is just the odorant, not necessarily natural gas. First responders and local utilities will be notified before and after all controlled venting work.”

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Photo: Roseland Against Compressor Station, Facebook