Sanford residents endure foul odor as wastewater plant, pipeline repairs continue

Sanford residents endure foul odor

For weeks, a foul odor has been hanging over Sanford, and frustrated residents say it?s only getting worse. City officials confirmed the stench is coming from the wastewater treatment plant, where one of the odor-control systems is broken and won?t be repaired until November.

SANFORD, Fla. - For weeks, a foul odor has been hanging over Sanford, and frustrated residents say it’s only getting worse. 

City officials confirmed the stench is coming from the wastewater treatment plant, where one of the odor-control systems is broken and won’t be repaired until November.

What we know:

Sanford residents have reported a strong, unpleasant odor for weeks, traced to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. 

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One of the plant’s odor-control systems is broken and will not be repaired until November. Separately, a major wastewater pipeline failed last month, prompting crews to install roughly 4,000 feet of new pipe. Septic tank trucks are being used to transport sewage during the repair.

What we don't know:

It is unclear exactly how long residents will continue to experience the odor from the treatment plant, and whether additional issues could arise from the aging infrastructure during ongoing repairs. 

The backstory:

Sanford’s aging wastewater system has led to overlapping infrastructure projects. The odor issue stems from a broken odor-control unit at the plant, while the pipeline failure requires continuous sewage transport by truck. 

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The coincidence of these two projects occurring simultaneously has caused confusion among residents.

What they're saying:

City officials stress that modernization projects are underway and that reserves are available to fund repairs.

"They’re remanufacturing an odor control system. It’s not just a single part that has to be replaced. They’re replacing sort of a system," Mayor Art Woodruff said.

"It’s been going on for a while, but lately it’s unbearable. Really kind of puke-worthy," said Sanford resident Denny Gibbs.

"It just happened that they happened at the same time. There was no connection between the two," Woodruff added.