PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — A nasty smell, that's been the complaint many Port Charlotte neighbors say has caused them to plug their noses.
Charlotte County Utilities told Fox 4 that all of that nasty water and sewage actually enters the new pipeline at a point on Achilles Street and Midway Boulevard.
Neighbors like Steve Russett say when the smell arrived, everyone took notice.
“We drive our car through it and you would just smell it all of a sudden,” said Russett.
The stench also harassing homeowners living near Midway Boulevard like Jim Miller who said they can't get rid of it.
“We smelt it when we were turning on Midway and Achilles along that area.
Charlotte County Spokesperson Caroline Wannall tells Fox 4 it started when crews began releasing water down a new 48-inch sewer line.
One family even says a complaint was filed against them because they say their neighbors thought they were the problem.
“And they thought it was our septic system and took a walk around the house and discovered that it wasn’t coming from our house," said Steven Barrows.
But what was discovered, Charlotte County leaders said, was the need for odor control.
That's why leaders say they're working to hire a contractor to put injections in the pipeline.
They say that could take up to four months to complete.
A deadline homeowners hope comes sooner rather than later.
“It’s not a smell it’s a stench and it just lingers there. and it does drive you inside the close the windows. so you come down here for the quality of life and enjoy the outdoors and when you have beautiful weather like this, to be driven inside, it’s maddening,“ said Barrows.
Charlotte county utilities said the injections won’t come with an actual smell of their own but will hopefully eliminate that horrible odor that so many neighbors are complaining about.
