Gas Smell Explained in Loudoun County, Bull Run Area

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Despite numerous calls Monday to Loudoun County's 911 emergency line about natural gas odors, officials say there's no basis for alarm.

Here's the statement from Dominion Transmission:

“Dominion (Gas) Transmission is aware that a number of residents in parts of Loudoun County have reported the smell of natural gas odorant. This is the result of scheduled venting that was announced last week that took place this morning. At no time was the public in any danger from the venting operation.

Venting began Monday morning, September 26, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. The scheduled venting occurred at two Dominion Transmission facilities in the vicinity of Cove Point Lane in Leesburg and off Bull Run Post Office Road in Fairfax County. The purpose of this venting involved purging natural gas from a segment of pipeline to safely allow for planned upgrades.

The venting concluded by 9:45 a.m. However, the smell of the natural gas odorant may linger. Natural gas in its natural state has no odor. An odorant is added to the natural gas as a matter of public safety. The odorant itself is not a public safety risk. Loudoun County’s Fire and Rescue Department and Dominion Transmission urge residents to report potential gas leaks when they smell natural gas odorant inside homes and businesses, or have concerns about the persistent smell for an extended time period. Dominion apologizes for any concern or inconvenience caused by this event.”

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