Rotten radishes prompt gas leak calls in Ohio

[February 09, 2010]  DEFIANCE, Ohio (AP) -- An Ohio fire department says the smell of decaying radishes prompted calls from residents worried about a possible gas leak.

Tiffin Township Volunteer Fire Department near Defiance in northwest Ohio responded to five reports of suspicious smells in the last 45 days. A field of oilseed radishes, planted as a cover crop that adds nutrients to the field, is near a natural gas compression station and a gas exchange station.

Tiffin Township Fire Chief Jamie Wonders said each run to investigate the odor takes about an hour. The agency responds to calls even when it suspects the smell is from the radishes.

Mark Reynolds, a pipeline technician with the TransCanada natural gas compression station, said the gas stored at the facility is odorless.

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Information from: The Crescent-News, http://www.crescent-news.com/

[Associated Press]

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