Sept. 18. Piedmont Natural Gas will perform routine infrastructure maintenance on Westmoreland Road near the Alexander Farms development between 11 am and 3 pm Thursday.

They’ll use what’s called a purge stack, a large vertical pipe which could produce a loud noise. It’s not far from where a gas break caused an emergency response two years ago.

As a result of the purging, nearby neighborhoods and businesses may notice the smell of natural gas during and after this work. Local emergency services will be on site.

Piedmont said in a press release that purging is key to safe, reliable natural gas service and meeting the increased demand for natural gas.