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Residents press Rowlett leaders over hydrogen sulfide in sewer system; mayor and staff cite monitoring
Summary
Public commenters urged immediate action and greater transparency after reports of sewer gas odors and elevated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) readings; the mayor and city staff described recent spot readings, interim fixes and a monitoring program that produced 15,000 data points with no continuous H2S exceedances.
Public commenters on Dec. 1 told the Rowlett City Council that hydrogen sulfide — a potentially deadly sewer gas — has been detected at multiple sites and that city workers could be at risk.
"H 2 s is not just an unpleasant smell. Is it it is a toxic gas that can be deadly at high concentrations and harmful at even low levels over time," said Allison Felderhof, who called on the city to disclose what certified H2S training, meters and personal protective equipment public-works crews receive. Felderhof said she and others have detected H2S along Liberty Grove, at Highway 66 and at Rowlett Road near the McDonald's, and cited a recent Texas incident in which three wastewater workers died after a hydrogen sulfide release.
Her husband, Justin Felderhof, told council members a typical low-level alarm is 10 parts per million and that his meter had read as high as "100 parts per million," saying the levels he observed indicated potentially dangerous conditions. Dan Hap, another resident, described manhole covers that were slightly displaced and alarms that had sounded at Liberty Grove and Lakeview Parkway.
Mayor responded that he purchased a handheld meter and took samples early on Dec. 1; "the highest reading I get by setting the meter on the manhole at any 1 point was 4 PPM at 1 of them," he said. City staff said the city contracted an engineering firm to deploy four ambient and intake monitors at targeted manholes and lift stations, gathering roughly "fit over 15,000 data points" during the deployment window. Staff described two kinds of monitoring: ambient air checks and inline monitors inside sewer lines used by crews for safety checks before entry.
City staff also said temporary aerators ("wet filters") were ordered to add oxygen to problem locations, and that the administration has contacted state officials and will publish the monitoring data when finalized. Staff described the monitoring results as not showing a continuous emission pattern but said on-site lid readings can occasionally produce elevated values and that the city will continue surveillance and worker-protection steps.
The council did not take formal action during the work session; staff said they will continue monitoring, publish results and report back to council with any recommended policy or equipment changes.
