(EIGHT MILE, Ala.) - Consultants hired by Mobile Gas have installed a new system of pipes and pumps to get rid of the butyl mercaptan spill plaguing Eight Mile.
Residents took Local 15 to the spill site tucked back in the woods to check out the aeration and vapor capture system.
“It’s good to see they’re trying to do whatever they can,” Eight Mile resident Jeremiah Hollins said, “But I still don’t have confidence in what they’re doing.”
Mobile Gas put the system in under pressure from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, after residents started to complain about the foul odor more than a year ago. Residents say the smell, resembling rotten eggs or green onions, has been so potent that they’re starting to have health issues including nausea, respiratory problems, and rashes.
ADEM said the system was installed and operational since October 12. An ADEM hydrogeologist inspected the system on October 24 and November 6, and determined it appears to be in working order.
ADEM said they will keep a close watch over the situation to make sure Mobile Gas remedies the problem. Soil and groundwater testing results are due in January to determine the extent of the contamination.
