INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — Union County staffers are recommending Union County commissioners help an Indian Trail neighborhood address a persistent smell of sewage. Residents say the issue has been plaguing the Heritage subdivision for years, mainly on Curling Creek Drive.
Union County officials say a pressurized sewer system discharges to a gravity sewer system at a manhole in the subdivision. The transition between the systems results in what is called “turbulent flow conditions.” According to Water Engineering Director John Shutak, when you have turbulent flow in wastewater, gases are typically released and that can be a source of odor. The manhole on Curling Creek Drive is in the middle of the street and is surrounded by houses.
Steve Worgan, a Heritage resident, says the smell comes and goes but it is typically present during “high bathroom use” periods in the morning and evening.
“Think of an outhouse that’s terrible,” he said. “It’s a sewer.”
The issue has gotten worse as more homes have been built in the neighborhood, according to Worgan.
“From day one, it’s been an issue,” he said. “As the area has blossomed and the homes we’re completed, there became more problems.”
Union County has solutions.
At last week’s meeting, Union County officials outlined three possible solutions:
- Vapor Phase Treatment: Using filters at the manhole to absorb the odor; Using an oxidant generation system to neutralize the odor-causing compounds
- Relocation of the force main discharge: Relocating the odor somewhere else
- Liquid Phase Treatment: Using chemicals to treat the wastewater to prevent odor-causing compounds from forming
Staff is recommending Union County Commissioners pursue the vapor and liquid phase treatments. The liquid phase treatment is estimated to cost around $250,000 as an ongoing expense. The scrubber inserts cost $1,100 each and will cost $800 to operate. Relocating the main will cost an estimated $1 million to $2 million.
Worgan is grateful the topic has made its way to Union County commissioners for consideration and he is hopeful a solution will be reached soon.
“The research tells us that this is a problem,” he said. “This isn’t just some folks who are, just you know, a little cranky or get-off-my-lawn kind of guys.”
An email to the developer of the homes was not immediately returned. A spokesperson for Union County says when the subdivision was developed, Union County staff advised the developer of the potential odor issue and offered recommendations to avoid this from happening, including moving the pipe. The developer did not enact the recommendations, according to the spokesperson.
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