What's That Awful Smell In Tewksbury?

TEWKSBURY, MA -- Dozens of residents took to social media Wednesday and Thursday to complain about an odor that seemingly covered the entire town, with descriptions ranging from "rotting milk" to words we can't post on a family-friendly news site. While many were quick to blame the pigs and other livestock at Krochmal Farm on South Street, Patch has confirmed that the culprit is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

State workers spread fertilizer on a portion of the wheat fields near the intersection of East and Livingston Streets Wednesday, adjacent to the campus of Tewksbury Hospital. That, coupled with a steady, northerly breeze, had Tewksbury residents located anywhere downwind running to shut their windows. The smell should dissipate within a few days.

"I thought I stepped on something and kept checking my shoes all day!" one person posted on a Facebook group for Tewksbury residents.

Krochmal Farm has been the usual suspect when something smells bad in town since 2008, when it built a new pig barn. The odors were so bad that both Wilmington and Tewksbury filed orders of prohibition against the farm. Wilmington settled a lawsuit with Krochmal in 2013, while Tewksbury conducted a site assignment process for the farm that allowed it to more fully regulate the farm's operations.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).