The smells, they still waft into SoNo and East Norwalk, often at 11pm. So when today’s Advocate reported that there are no “actionable” calls coming into the odor line, I remain skeptical. One thing that I wonder about is whether residents in the area have received a notice telling them about the odor line, and how to report stinky times. But wait, I already know the answer, because I live in the affected area, and have not gotten such a notice. The Advocate reports:
Created in November after businesses and residents complained at public meetings about smells from the city’s wastewater treatment plant, the hot line hasn’t gotten any tips that could lead to pinpointing the origin of the stink, said Harold Alvord, director of the Department of Public Works.
“We haven’t gotten any calls or e-mails that gave us timely information that would allow us to go out and determine what the source of the odor is,” he said.
The handful of calls to the city’s customer service line came a week after the fact, he said.
“If they smell the odor, they should call us immediately and tell us where they’re located. Then we can get out there with monitors and send OMI out there to find what the source of the odor is,” Alvord said, referring to the company that operates the East Norwalk plant.
Alvord has been skeptical of complaints that tie the stench that occasionally wafts over East Norwalk to the treatment plant, saying it could come from tidal flats or dead leaves.
Some residents have bristled at that.
“We’ve had people complain, complain, complain. I don’t understand why they’re not doing anything about it, ” said Peter Johnson, a shellfish commissioner, at a November harbor management commission meeting. “It will get you stomach-sick . . . That’s how bad it is.”
If the smell is connected to the plant, it likely originates with the septic haulers, which remove sewage sludge in the early morning and around lunchtime, plant workers and officials have said.
Every time the sludge is hauled out, the doors to the plant are left open for 30 minutes to an hour, plant workers have said.
Officials have said they would try to bump back the early-morning pickups, which typically occur between 4 and 6 a.m., by two hours, though they cautioned that may not work with the hauler’s schedule.
Plant workers this month are supposed to begin testing a chemical compound commonly used at wastewater treatment plants called sodium permanganate.
The compound creates a chemical reaction to reduce the odor of the sludge, Alvord said. But it poses potential hazards, such as burns to workers, he has said.
“Anything with causticity should make you concerned about the safety of your employees,” he has said.
- To report an odor, call OMI’s 24-hour hot line at 854-5517 or the city’s customer service line at 854-3200.
source: Advocate, No callers on odor line, By Tim Stelloh, January 14 2008
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