HARMONY — Officials for the Western Butler County Authority (WBCA) have tracked a strange smell in the borough to a house that was missing a trap on its sanitary sewer line, resulting in the offending odor.

Several borough residents attended November’s borough council meeting saying their community was subject to a hydrogen sulfide leak and asked the borough for its help and transparency.

The trap on the sewer lateral keeps sewer gas from leaking into homes, and, in this case, is the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord to ensure it is in place, said Autumn Heckathorn, WBCA manager.

“It is dangerous,” said Heckathorn. “If it’s not in place, sewer gas can leak into your home.”

At this point, however, the WBCA has done what it can, she added. It is now up to the owner or resident of the home to put the trap in place.