What’s that stench? Why a ‘rotten egg’ smell is wafting over parts of Lexington
A lack of rain and replacement of corroded parts at a Lexington wastewater treatment plant has led to a “rotten egg” smell in parts of the city.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman Josh McCurn, who represents an area near the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant off of South Forbes Drive, said his office has received complaints dating back several weeks.
“It stinks,” McCurn said.
The city is in the process of replacing covers over concrete tunnels at the plant, which were the primary means of odor control. The caps were put on in the 1990s and have lead to corrosion of the concrete tunnels. Replacement of those covers and fixing those concrete tunnels means the odor is escaping, said Charlie Martin, director of water quality for the city.
“I know that it smells,” Martin said, who drives through the area near the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant on his way to work. “We are doing everything that we can to work at break-neck speed. If we had not had done this, the covers would have caved in.”
The contractors have put the covers back on during the weekends. The city is using chemical treatments to try to contain the odor.
“It has helped,” McCurn said of the temporary fix. “It’s not an end-all solution. It has significantly helped reduce the smell from what it was a week ago.”
However, the replacement of the covers at Town Branch won’t be completed until early December, Martin said.
Compounding the problem is a lack of rain.
Rainwater keeps wastewater moving, which helps with odor control, Martin said. There have been odor complaints in other parts of the city as well. The city’s other sewage treatment plant is West Hickman, which is on the south side of Lexington in Jessamine County.
“Looking at both plants together, the lack of rain equates to about 9 million gallons per day less flow than normal for this time of year,” Martin said. “Less flow means slower velocities in the pipes which means a longer time of travel from point A to point B. Long detention times means more odors.”
More rain and cooler temperatures will help, he said.
Other areas of the state including Louisville and Northern Kentucky have had similar odor complaints due to lack of rain, Martin said.
“I was at a meeting recently and the first 40 minutes was all about odor control,” Martin said.
