Chicago Area sewage plant gets stench under control Officials say air scrubber mechanism(Chemical Feed Pump) had broken

Source: Chicago Daily Herald Publication date: Feb 03, 2000

&An unpleasant sewage treatment plant stench that struck a neighborhood on Gurnee's east side early this week has apparently been corralled.

North Shore Sanitary District officials said a new $6.5 million odor-control system at O'Plaine Road and Washington Street encountered a mechanical failure that caused the problem.

Residents in the Providence Village and Providence Oaks subdivisions have been the most outspoken about what they say is a periodic odor because they live within a mile or less south from the sewage treatment plant.

Brian Dorn, the district's special projects manager, said the odor became noticeable after a chemical feed pump broke late Monday. He said a chemical mix must flow to the system's main air scrubber to fend off foul smells.

Dorn and sanitary district Trustee Mark Hawn said the pump was fixed Tuesday morning. They said the district received a few gripes.

"We know we've got it working because it's controlling the odors," Dorn said Wednesday.

In November, at least 35 residents, primarily from Providence Village, brought their concerns to a sewage district board meeting. They were told the new odor-control system would be fully operational by this month, which sanitary district officials say has occurred.

"I feel very confident that our complaint level should go down from here on out," Hawn said.

Dorn said the district has been tinkering to get the best chemical mix to contain the odors. He added that it's easy to tell if the system is not working, because a stench became obvious when it was disconnected for 12 minutes about two weeks ago.

"It's been a hard process, getting the right chemical mix," Dorn said.

Despite optimism about the new odor-control system, some nearby residents remain concerned. Providence Oaks resident Eric Bachtal said he and his wife have encountered a "thick" odor at various times this winter. He said they inhaled the stench after returning home Sunday evening. "It hasn't been great this winter," said Bachtal, who moved from Kansas City to Gurnee late last year. "We anticipate it will be worse when the heat is on."

Hawn said the district places a priority on correcting odors that bother residential areas near its sewage plants. He said minimal complaints have surfaced about the district's Highland Park facility.

An outside source may have added to Gurnee's odor woes in November. Libertyville Township-based [Abbott Laboratories] said a valve failure caused an accidental discharge of dimethyl sulfide to flow from its plant to the sewage treatment plant. The clear liquid chemical is used in some Abbott antibiotics and has a garlic-like smell.

Publication date: Feb 03, 2000 ) 2000, NewsReal, Inc.

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