Hydrogen Sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide gas can be dangerous to breathe and presents serious odor problems (the smell of rotten eggs). It also reacts with water to form sulfuric acid, which corrodes sewer lines.

The King County limit for atmospheric hydrogen sulfide is 10 parts per million measured at a designated monitoring manhole. King County also may restrict discharges of soluble sulfide on a case-by-case basis.

The photograph below shows a sewer pipe destroyed by corrosion.