By Mike Kellems
In the last weeks of 2013, some rural LaPorte County fire departments have received reports of possible natural gas leaks. The calls have varied in location from far southeastern LaPorte County to the Rolling Prairie area; neighboring St. Joseph County has also received some calls. Each time the locales’ fire departments responded, despite being able to smell an odor themselves, they were unable locate a source.
After Kankakee Township volunteer firefighters based in Rolling Prairie responded to six such calls in as many days, a couple firefighters did some research. They found that a relatively new farming technique was likely the guilty culprit.
Farmers in the area have started to plant radishes as a cover crop in place of the traditional winter wheat crop. As the radishes die off during the winter freeze, they break down in a process that benefits the soil for future corn and bean crops. The one downside: The smell, often compared to rotten eggs or natural gas.
Kankakee Township VFD Administrative Fire Chief Tom Thode cautions area residents to never ignore the odor of natural gas. “Gas companies actually add a product known as ‘mercaptan’ that gives natural gas the offensive odor,” Thode explained, noting that natural gas is otherwise odorless and colorless.
In instances when temperatures rise during the winter months, odors — whether caused by a natural gas leak or decaying radishes — tend to increase. Regardless, Thode encourages anyone who smells something suspicious to call 911.