LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Back in early September, crews started smoke testing in Lexington to tackle the issue of a strong sewage smell, at times, taking over neighborhoods.
Contractors pushed non-toxic white smoke into manholes, and if a sewer pipe was cracked or broken, smoke came up from the ground.
The smoke testing wrapped up a few weeks ago, but residents are still voicing concerns.
"Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like we've had an uptick in odor complaints and that concerns me," Charles Martin, Lexington Director of Water Quality, said.
Smoke testing started Sept. 9, first in Meadowthorpe, followed by Cumberland Hill and Pinnacle. Martin pointed out results, particularly in Meadowthorpe.
"What we found in the older neighborhood, we did get smoke in people's houses which you shouldn't have that happen. In some of the newer neighborhoods we did later on, when we talked last, didn't find that kind of problem," Martin noted.
In September, at Cumberland Hill, Martin described odor complaints similar to burned sulfur or a wet book of matches.
He now has more data to work with to address odor complaints in these three neighborhoods, but it's a bit of a waiting game as the city works with consultants from Webster Environmental Associates.
"We're still compiling the data. We're waiting for the consultant to bring all the data together for us, because they geocode any place where they find problems," Martin said.
A few residents walking the trail at Veterans Park, one of the areas impacted, continue to follow the city's work in this next phase of sanitary sewer odor control.
"I just hope it works, whatever they're trying to accomplish, I hope it works, and I hope the money is well spent," Judy Craft said.
"It's great that they've taken the pride to do it because a lot of towns would not have done it for their people, so that's good to know," Charlene Golden said.
Staffing is a big part of the story as well, and creating a new position, an Odor Control Manager position, is in the works, according to Martin. He'll begin interviewing for that position in the near future.
