The Lexington Division of Water Quality is continuing its efforts to control strong odors coming from the city’s sewer system starting September 9.
The city will be pumping smoke into manholes in neighborhoods near the city’s water treatment plants. That includes the Meadowthorpe, Cumberland Hill and Pinnacle neighborhoods.
The smoke test will help track the sewage odor to find out if it’s coming from cracked or leaky pipes.
The Division says to not call 911 if smoke is seen coming from any vent pipes in the meantime, but to call the fire department at 859-231-5600 if there are any concerns.
Charles Martin is Lexington’s Director of Water Quality. He says it’s part of a process to pin down just where the smell, which residents say is similar to sulfur, is coming from.
“Sewer odors can come from the treatment plants. It could come from the pump stations, it could come from the collection system itself. So we've been doing a lot of work on the first two issues, that third issue is the one I'm really trying to focus on now.”
Martin says the city’s been getting complaints for more than a year, and asks residents to be patient as they continue to figure out where the smell is coming from.
“We've gone at it as hard as we possibly can,” Martin said. “It never goes fast enough for anybody that's experiencing this. It certainly doesn't for me. I find myself peeking at my phone every night just to see if something's happening or if something's not. That's no way to live.”
The tests are expected to run through early November. The smoke is not toxic, but the Division of Water Quality says people with heart or breathing issues should take care to keep the smoke from coming indoors.
To keep smoke from entering the home, Martin says to run any underused sink faucets for a few minutes, or to pour a gallon of water into a basement drain. The water in the drain trap will keep smoke from coming through the pipes.
More information on the city’s odor control plan is available here.
Lexington Environmental Quality and Public Works is a financial supporter of WEKU.
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