One resident describes the smell "like a Porta Potty to be honest"
SPARTA, Wis. (WKBT) – If you’ve spent any time in Sparta over the last several weeks, you may have noticed something was off.
People have been sending in complaints to the city about a bad smell.
The stench is so foul, that some residents say they don’t even want to go outside.
“It smells like a Porta Potty to be honest,” Sparta resident Heather Brueggeman said.
It hasn’t been uncommon for Heather to smell something funky in the neighborhood that’s close to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
“It seems like it started last summer,” Heather said. “It was every so often, not all the time.”
Then it gradually got worse.
“In the last month, it’s just been awful most days,” Heather said.
She says she’s never smelled something this bad in the 15 years she and her family have lived in the house.
“I don’t know what’s causing it to be worse,” Heather said. “But it’s been stronger, and it just seems to eek in our vents. It’s horrible.”
Public works director Mark Van Wormer says the stench has to do with issues with the sanitation plant.
“It’s a system that’s 30 years old,” Van Wormer said.
The pressure valve for the plant’s methane-release system has been malfunctioning regularly.
“You have breakdowns and unfortunately, some of the parts for this equipment is obsolete,” Van Wormer said.
Van Wormer says the plant also has been recently taking in higher-strength waste from area businesses.
“And that could be contributing to some of the smells in the last four to five months,” Van Wormer said.
Van Wormer says the extreme cold weather hasn’t been helping either.
“When you have that cold layer, it keeps those smells close to the surface and they are definitely a lot more noticeable,” Van Wormer said.
The torch for the methane system has been temporarily fixed, but it’s gotten to the point where some systems have to replaced completely.
“And that’s why some of these higher-strength waste streams come into play is because they’re a source of revenue for these upgrades to the plant,” Van Wormer said.
Sanitation plants can have problems, and Heather understands that.
“I want them to make sure that we’re going to be safe, and that we’re not in any danger from having these smells,” Heather said.
Just any other smell besides a Porta John would do wonders for the neighborhood.
Van Wormer says the city has about $2 million set aside for sanitation projects. He is hoping some of the oldest systems in the plant will be replaced later this year.
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February 13, 2021 at 07:16AM
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Wastewater treatment plant in Sparta having system problems, giving off bad smell to nearby neighborhood - News8000.com - WKBT
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