SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — Officials say Big Ox Energy will stop paying motel bills next week for South Sioux City residents displaced by sewer odor.

The renewable energy company’s spokesman, Evan Zeppos, on Wednesday said Big Ox is working with the residents on individual remediation plans. The company has been covering the bills since late October.

As many as two dozen residents were originally displaced. As of last week a dozen remained at motels or at the homes of friends and family.

The source of the hydrogen sulfide that caused the smell in the homes is still being investigated. Last week Big Ox Energy released a report that pointed at plumbing issues in the majority of the homes instead of discharges from the Big Ox plant.

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