The release of mercaptan from a compression station in South Arlington is being blamed for reports of natural gas leaks across the city, officials say. The city said Tuesday that the fire department received multiple reports at about 8:30 a.m. from people across the city who reported smelling nat ural gas. The city said the fire department was told the odor resulted from a controlled release of mercaptan gas after a compression station in South Arlington was over-pressurized. Energy Transfer told NBC 5 that during routine maintenance at the odorization station on Tuesday morning, there was a release of the gas, and they expect it to dissipate by about 1:30 p.m. City officials said southerly winds carried the odor across Arlington, with reports received from areas as far north as Lamar Boulevard. “While this created a strong odor in the area of the release, there are no operational issues,” Energy Transfer said. Mercaptan is the colorless gas intentionally added to natural gas to give it a detectable odor. It has a strong, pungent smell even at very low concentrations. The city said no natural gas was released. Editor’s Note: The city said the fire department reached out to Atmos Energy who provided an early statement about the release of mercaptan. Atmos Energy told NBC 5 on Tuesday afternoon that the situation was not an issue related to their equipment. ...read more read less