Nearly $2 Million Needed To Repair Fairfield's Stinky Sewage Plant

FAIRFIELD, CT — Some relief is on the way from the stench emanating from Fairfield's Water Pollution Control Facility off Reef Road on Richard White Way.

Since the spring, the sewage processing plant has given off a terrible odor, according to officials and residents, that can be smelled throughout the neighborhoods in the vicinity.

The odor is the result of the facility's damaged digester, which treats the sewage. The 45-ton top of the digester in the Fairfield facility blew off in April, which means it is releasing the noxious fumes, officials said.

"Due to a structural failure of one of the primary digesters at the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), there has been a change in how the sewage at the facility is being processed," wrote First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick in a statement about the issue. "First, the broken digester had to be cleaned which was a large undertaking so the contractor could then assess the cause and extent of the failure. Based on the scope of the damage, it is expected to take a few more months for the repair to be completed. The change in process at the facility is causing residents in the area to experience a strong odor."

The repair to the equipment is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, and earlier this week, the Board of Selectpersons approved a $1.75 million allocation for the fix. The Board of Finance also approved it, and the Representative Town Meeting is scheduled to review it on Monday.

"The repair is out to bid, we're hoping for good competitive bids," John Bodie, superintendent of the Water Pollution Control Facility, told the Selectpersons. The bids will be opened on Dec. 15.

"Because of the odor complaints, we're trying to fast-track this," Bodie added. The repairs will take a few months to complete.

The town has tested the air quality in the area to make sure it is not toxic, and those tests have come back negative.

"CT DEEP has been on site to the location and the Health Department has discussed the situation and residents’ concerns with the staff of the CT Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Environmental and Occupational Health Assessment Program," Kupchick wrote. "DPH staff has advised that this change would not likely lead to a change in health risk for either infectious diseases or other health impacts from exposure to sewer odors."

Selectman Thomas Flynn said the problem has to be addressed as soon as possible.

"This is an emergency situation, because the citizens in that area can't continue to live with that smell," he said.