Has the mystery of the “gas-like” smell on Grand Street in Williamsburg around Berry Street that we posted about yesterday been found? Perhaps. Yesterday, a number of people left comments on our post about the Eau de Grand. One reader wrote:
i have lived in Southside almost 10 years and I have never seen any of those trucks until the last few months. There have been repeated gas smell incidences and they seem to happen around times when there have been heavy rains. If the smell is not natural gas as the Gas Co says, then its smells like some petro product.
Another wrote:
I live on Grand St. I used to call Keyspan about the smell of natural gas, they would come out and drill holes in front of my house and tell me there is no leak. No kidding. I was calling to complain about the George Pataki Power Plant at the end of Grand St., which is a jet engine that runs on natural gas. There was no smell before the power plant.
The Brooklyn 11211 blog also theorized about the mystery, but dismissed the power plant theory, saying that it had produced odors, but generally on warm, windless days. A second idea was a kosher hot dog factory at Grand and Berry that is fragrant. Then, however, came this update:
Keyspan has spent the evening going up and down Grand Street poking holes in the sidewalk and street, sniffing for gas leaks. They’ve spent the last hour or so digging a hole in the sidewalk in front of 69 Grand (across the street from Aurora). Looks like “actual gas leak” wins (the NYPA pipeline does not run down that far south). 25 January – 22:30.
Mystery perhaps solved?
4 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Jan 29, 2008 at 9:53 am
Its not the smallish power plant at the end of Grand st. at the river. That has been here for very long time. The rash of gas smelling incidences have occurred over the last year or so and many residents have notice the fact that they often happen when there is heavy rain. Hell there were at least 20 + witnesses to the incident at the Mini mall several months ago where the Gas co came , said it wasn’t gas and the Fire Dept just lamely put a hone down the sewer…the smell was then also rising out of the sewer grate futher down N.5th from the Mini Mall. Hummmmm…Mini Mall is many blocks form the power plant on Grand St.
2 Anonymous // Jan 29, 2008 at 10:15 am
Don’t think its natural gas or Keyspan/Gas Co. issue.
There was on Friday Nov 30th 2007 midday an enviromental firm’s truck on N.1st St b/w Bedford and Berry for several hours drilling deep on the open land behind the lowrise industrial building on N.1street across from the Polish school/church facing N.1st steet. They appeared to have drilled down 25-30 feet into the soil and were taking soil samples. The only people there were the two guys doing the drilling and the older white polish guy who owns the property. This property has been on the market for a few years now. There was apparently some big shot developers suits looking at it at one point many months ago but the deal feel through. This is the first time anyone who lives around the building has seen any soil testing done.
This testing comes amid these many gas smell incidents on Grand St. over past several months as well as strange late nite drilling by the Keyspan all day and late into the nite a few weeks back on N.1st and DEPs repair of what looked like a small collapse of the concete sidewalk over their sewer grate at corner of N.1st and Bedford on New Year’s Eve! They must have been worried to spend thr what? triple overtime for that repair?
I Highly doubt the source of the gas/petro smells are he Gas Co, or a GAS leak. People say it smells like gas as in gasoline or oil not as in natural gas but they call Gas co b/c that’s the closest thing they know to call other than the fire dept.
There have been DEP trunks digging out crap from the sewers on Grand and Bedford and down to the river and on N.1st at Bedford and down to river. There was a also some truck on Grand infront of the Pizza place looking like there were cleaning out something back around the holidays. They cart away whatever they dug out…even sweep and hose–most through they were.
It sure would ne nice if the NYC DEP and the State would “come clean” and tell us what is going on.
3 Anonymous // Jan 29, 2008 at 10:55 am
the pwoer plant at end of grand st does not explain the gasoline/oil type smells incidents that happen several blocks away eastward toward BQE- Hope St, Havermeyer, Mimi mall etc, and all of those are also far from the NYPA pipeline that runs under Kent which the City just spent a fortune on over past few years…So neiher of those begin to answer the other incidents that are far removed from either the power plant at Grand st and the river or the pipeline that runs under Kent…
Clearly this issue/situation need to be looked into by some enviromental scientists hopefully not on the payroll of the City, the State or the Developers.
4 Anonymous // Feb 5, 2008 at 1:10 pm
The DEP has drilling holes on N.1st around Bedford to Kent for over a year. They seem to be doing testing. Started wound the time that the huge building site that is a block size from on N1st from Whythe to Kent and on Metropolitain from Whythe to Kent. They drilled small holes about 3-4 inches round and took samples. Don’t know how deep they went. They were doing it on the sidewalks even–one at corner of N.1st and Whythe a year or so go. Left no real marking. There been something up that the DEP is I suppose trying to either hide or get up to speed on. Toss up as to which given their track history. But given the the real estate price run up in area chances are they want to cover up any problem w/ some superficial yeah we tested but not really kind of excuse. Too bad its so hard for them to get sued. They know it so that do as they please.