GROSSE POINTE FARMS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Some residents in Grosse Pointe Farms say an odor coming from a sewage pumping station has become so unbearable that they're considering moving away from the area.
Watch Peter Maxwell's video report:
The sewage pumping station is located on Chalfonte Road near Hillcrest Avenue and is operated by the Southeast Macomb Sanitary District.
You can faintly smell the odor on cooler days, but residents who live near the pumping station say this is nothing compared to what they've dealt with when it's warm outside.
"It smells like sewage, of course. But it's very foul," said Mark Montante, a Grosse Pointe Farms resident.
"You can smell it now, and this is just a light smell," said David Pitts, another Grosse Pointe Farms resident.
Pitts lives right across the street from the pump house. He's lived in the Farms for 24 years, but for the last 15 years, he says the smell is unbearable and has complained to the city of Grosse Pointe Farms about the issue.
"You can't sit out here in the summertime, the smell is all in my house. You can flush the toilet, you can run the water, you can smell it," Pitts said. "I can't have a barbecue here anymore because of the stink. I wish they would shut it down."
Montante moved to Grosse Pointe Farms two years ago and says the smell is nauseating when they're outside, and they've even considered moving.
"It's very frustrating for me. I put a lot of money into this home, and for me to deal with that, it's totally unfair," Montante said. "The last episode realistically was the day after Halloween, and it was bad."
The city and the Southeast Macomb Sanitary District say the odor is caused by stretches of little rainfall and is more noticeable in warmer and more humid weather, and is less noticeable in colder weather.
Montante has drafted letters and plans on sending them to the city, sanitary district, Wayne County, and the state.
"There needs to be regular scheduled maintenance with this pumping station over here. There are carbon filters that probably need to be changed on a regular basis, opposed to two to three years ago," Montante said.
City Manager Shane Reeside confirms that multiple complaints have been filed and says the city is working with the Southeast Macomb Sanitary District on a solution.
The director of the sanitary district says they have increased the odor control settings and provided a statement:
The SEMSD Kerby Pump Station has a carbon odor control system that is in continuous use to help mitigate odors at the station. Staff at the SEMSD performs inspections and maintenance daily to ensure that the system is operating as designed. We are always evaluating new technology in order to improve the Kerby Pump Station.
For residents like Montante and Pitts, they just want the smell to go away.
"I wish they would just shut it down," Pitts said.
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