Foul stink in Village of New Minas subject of public meeting on Thursday

The Municipality of the County of Kings says work to stop the stench should be complete by the end of summer.

A resident says the smell is so bad she can't even open a window in the summer

Celina Aalders CBC News Posted: May 11, 2023 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 11, 2023

Greyish wipes are wound around aeration equipment in Lagoon 1 at the New Minas sewage plant. — Disposable wipes wound around aeration equipment in Lagoon 1 at the New Minas, N.S., sewage plant. The municipality overseeing the system has asked residents to not flush wipes, dental floss, food, garbage or hair down the toilet. (Municipality of the County of Kings)

Some residents of New Minas, N.S., say they are frustrated with the foul odour overtaking their community.

"It's disgusting," said Dawn Noakes, a longtime New Minas resident, as she described the odour coming from the local sewage treatment plant.

Noakes has spoken to the CBC previously about this issue and she says as the years go on, the smell gets worse in the village.

According to Noakes, the stench is so foul that she can't even open her windows,let alone sit outside on her deck for more than five minutes.

A woman with auburn hair in a purple shirt and glasses smiles for a photo. — Dawn Noakes of New Minas says this is the sixth summer residents have been dealing with the smell of sewage. (Dawn Noakes)

The Municipality of the County of Kings has been trying to handle the smell for several years.

Recent attempts to improve the smell during the summers of 2020 and 2021 have included replacing the aeration systems of some lagoons, removing sludge and debrisand installing a pump station meant to increase water circulation.

These efforts cost over $3.5 million, according to the municipality's website.

More work needed

Despite these efforts, the municipality's department of public works announced on April 28 that more work is needed to get the odour under control.

It has plans to continue to "upgrade equipment and infrastructure, with the goal of reducing the severity and duration of odours that can impact our communities," its website says.

The CBC was unable to speak with officials from the municipality, and Mayor Peter Muttart declined to comment. He says he wants the community to be informed of the plans before the media.

A community meeting hostedby the municipality will take place Thursday evening at theLouis Millett Community Complex in New Minas at 7 p.m. The "recent spike in foul odours" is on the agenda, according to a municipal advisory.

The planned upgrades include replacing the aeration system, changing the shape of a sewage lagoonto improve circulation, building a new storage pad forlagoon maintenance and more sludge removal. This work is expected to cost an additional $3.6 million.

The municipal website says the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of summer. But for residents like Noakes, this means another summer spent indoors with the windows shut.

"I'm fed up, I'm done. I couldn't even try and sell my house right now cause no one's going to buy it," said Noakes.

"So I'm stuck here in this stinky village with no compensation and no foreseeable improvement in the future."

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