Family leaves as gas problem fixed

Officials will study options to solve the problem.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Members of a western Pennsylvania family have been told to leave their home as the state begins work to remediate a methane gas problem, but several residents say they are more concerned about a rotten egg smell associated with a different toxic gas.

The Saraka family will be moved to a hotel for up to a week because officials want to ensure their safety while a 40-foot rig is used on their property to remove an old gas well casing, according to Helen Humphries, a spokeswoman with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

But several residents in Versailles say that since last week, when the DEP began the remediation work, the smell of toxic hydrogen sulfide has been so bad at times that it makes their eyes burn and causes nausea.

The department says it has been monitoring the levels of hydrogen sulfide in the area and have not found any danger to public safety. Humphries said no residents have complained to the department about the smell or any health problems.

In testing done late Wednesday, the gas was found at high levels inside a well, but at lower levels at the point where it is venting into the atmosphere, Humphries said. “The levels at which we are finding it ... they’re low levels,” she said.

State, federal and county officials will meet today in Versailles to discuss the different options available for solving the problem at the Saraka residence, Humphries said. One issue to be discussed is how to dispose of water from the Saraka well that is tainted with hydrogen sulfide.

Versailles, a town of 1,700 that is about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, sits on hundreds of poorly sealed natural gas wells that are believed to be the source of methane that has been seeping into the soil for decades.

Hydrogen sulfide, the source of which is unknown, was first detected by federal surveyors in October 2006. Residents and borough officials were not made aware of the problem until The Associated Press reported the findings earlier this month based on federal and state documents. Since then, authorities have been monitoring the levels, an independent firm has been hired to oversee the testing and work has begun on the locations most affected.