The smell is getting worse: Councilwoman leads discussion on persistent smell in west Louisville

By Madison Elliott

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    WEST LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — As a smell continues to linger around west Louisville, so do the questions, “what is it?” and “what’s being done about it?”

On Monday, District 1 Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins brought leaders from the Metro Sewer District and the Air Pollution Control District together for answers.

“This smell has been overlooked way too long,” said Hawkins.

Altafay Bailey, who’s lived in west Louisville for most of her life, says for almost two decades, she’s noticed the smell as an issue.

But lately, it’s gotten worse.

“It’s really bad now, very very bad,” she said.

“You can feel it in your eyes, your nose, your throat,” she added.

MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott says while odors are a natural byproduct of a sewer system, the problem goes a little deeper than that.

Louisville has a combined sewer system, which means it takes on stormwater and wastewater.

The system, which was designed in the 1800s, is self-cleaning and depends on rainwater to flush itself out.

Parrott says a lack of rain has caused the smell to get worse, which has happened before.

“So if we are not getting the rain to flush out a self-cleaning system, that will lead to an increase in odors throughout the system,” he said.

“In short, it can be summed up as, MSD has inherited infrastructure, which is nearly 150 years old, it’s had historic disinvestment,” said Rachael Hamilton, APCD director.

As waste breaks down, it can create a colorless gas called hydrogen sulfide, which causes a smell of rotten eggs.

“And that is the primary culprit within the neighborhoods,” said Parrott.

The CDC says at low levels, hydrogen sulfide irritates the eyes, nose and throat.

However, Parrott says they haven’t seen concerning levels of it in the air.

Still, neighbors raised concerns on Monday about their health.

They said this isn’t an odor issue, it’s a health issue, as other neighbors reported illnesses they attributed to the smell.

Parrott says short-term solutions include replacing and repairing catch basins to help with the odor.

“Long-term, we are going to be investing significant odor control at improvements at our Morris Forman wastewater treatment facility,” he said.

Hamilton says the APCD stepped in several years ago, bringing enforcement action against MSD.

She says MSD was required to take several steps, including evaluating their collection system that serves Morris Forman.

Now, she says it’s time to implement mitigation strategies.

Councilwoman Hawkins will be leading another community discussion on Nov. 29 at the Southwick Community Center from 6:30-8 p.m.

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