Something is rotten in Nesquehoning and residents want to know what it is.

Over the past two weeks, residents have noticed a strong smell, described by many as equivalent to cat urine or ammonia, engulfing the town in the evening hours. It has taken over the streets, forcing people inside their homes; and is now starting to seep into residences and basements.Jenn Hoffman of Nesquehoning told the Times News that she has noticed it on a number of occasions."At times it's very strong," she said. "It has been a known odor all over Nesquehoning, including Hauto."I did call the non- emergency number for the Comm Center and an officer came out and he was here walking around outside all over to try and figure this out but at that time he had no idea."She said Wednesday night was particularly bad."I'm hoping we get answers very soon," Hoffman said. "We would like answers."Another resident, Kathy O'Gorman, said that she believes the source is probably coming from a chemical in plastic when burnt."We don't have that many feral cats in our town to cause it," she said. "It's not our wastewater treatment plant either."O'Gorman speculated that it may be coming from an area business, but nothing has been determined by officials at this time with regard to this."Where do I live?" she said when asked her residence, "In Nesquesmellyhoning."Michaele Kulick, who lives in the New Columbus section of the borough, said the odor was strong up there as well Wednesday night."The smell was so intense about 8 p.m. that I thought a skunk sprayed," she said. "I had to close all my windows because the smell was so bad. The smell is in the air when I left for work at 6:15 a.m. (today) but not as intense."Facebook has been ablaze with residents talking about the smell.They are speculating what the source is, which ranges from area businesses to underground fires and meth labs.But to date, officials are still stumped about the cause of the odor.John McArdle, local emergency management coordinator for Nesquehoning, said that borough officials have received a number of complaints from residents and are searching for the source of the unpleasant odor."No one knows where it is coming from," he said.Mark Nalesnik, Carbon County emergency management coordinator, echoed McArdle's statement, saying that at this time, they don't know what is it or where it is coming from.He said that he sent a letter about the complaints to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as copied the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health."I am hoping that maybe (DEP) can send a few air quality devices in that can monitor the air," Nalesnik said.Numerous residents have also reported that they contacted DEP and were told the issue would be looked into.Colleen Connolly, DEP community relations coordinator, said that they received complaints about a smell in the borough and will be discussing the matter with the Carbon County EMA for more specifics before determining what the plan of action will be. That discussion is expected to take place today.During the Carbon County Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, the board discussed this problem.Joseph Guardiani of Blue Mountain Health System, who sits on the committee, reported that the hospitals are aware of the issue and will report if anyone comes in from the town to get treated for any problems with regard to the odor.This isn't the first time a cat smell has engulfed a town in Pennsylvania.Last October, New Castle reported that the town was being taken over by a "cat urine" smell.At the time, DEP conducted an investigation and, according to its findings report, no conclusive source of the odor was found, but officials believed that a sewer line seemed to be the main odor source because it allowed the odor to travel through the sewer system throughout the town.The DEP report in that case says that in previous instances around the world where an odor like this was reported, "the common denominator in these events appeared to be the presence of a compound, mesityl oxide. This compound can be a contaminate found within other solvents."According to the U.S. National Center of Biotechnology Information website, mesityl oxide is a colorless liquid used in paint removers, as a solvent for plastics and as an insect repellent.In the New Castle case, DEP concluded that the source of such a problem was probably caused by "a waste containing mesityl oxide or another similar compound reacting with a sulfur compound."