What Is Causing Stench Across Sacramento's South Land Park Neighborhood?
SOUTH LAND PARK (CBS13) -- On a breezy day, one can get a whiff of something best described as rotten with a hint of sulfur in a Sacramento neighborhood.
People living nearby a wastewater plant off 35th Avenue occasionally get a hint of a foul odor, but for weeks, this latest scent has become unimaginable.
"Well, it's a little bit feted and putrid if you want to call it that," said Brandon Seto of the South Land Park Neighborhood Association.
The stench permeates the air on warmer days. When it got so bad, the association recently highlighted the issue at a meeting and sent emails to city hall.
"We're looking for more definitive answers from the city," Seto said.
Answers included learning whether the odor in itself and treatment could lead to environmental impacts, he said.
The plant is owned by Regional San but is operated by the City of Sacramento's Department of Utilities. The facility services more than 1.4 million people.
So what's causing the rancid smell?
Councilmember Rick Jennings' office said a break happened in a pipeline with a gate valve.
It's no easy fix.
The valve is about four feet in diameter and is not something readily in stock, said Jennings' chief of staff, Dennis Rogers.
Originally, it was supposed to take about 10 months to get the parts needed for the timeline, but Rogers said the city manager decided Wednesday night to get it fixed sooner. A timeline for the repairs has yet to be determined.
In the meantime, Rogers said the public-private partnership is working on a temporary solution.
Regional San told CBS13 that it's taking initial steps to reduce the smell by the end of this week and expects a more permanent solution will be in place by the end of this month, which will include an odor suppressant.
A spokesperson said the odor is not a risk to public health.
Neighbors say they hope something is done soon.
"When it hits you, it really does hit you," Seto said. "It is stark."