This Is Why Hoboken Smells Like Sewage

As the waters begin to recede from Sunday’s flooding in Hoboken, residents across the city are reporting the presence of a smelly sludge remaining on sidewalks and streets.

“Still standing water and raw sewage… You have to smell it to believe it,” reported monicamoralestv via Instagram.

“Hoboken smells like a bad beach bay from all the flooding, and not in a good way,” wrote @JenWilson4 on Twitter.

Hoboken city workers were spotted spraying down streets with power hoses on Monday morning due to concerns about raw sewage among the rainwater, ABC 7 reported.

CBS New York reported that there was “standing water on the streets” and “waste water creeping up on cars.”

“The black murk washed up on the corner of the sidewalk,” said one Hoboken resident in the report. “You know, you smell it when it floods around here.”

WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

According to Hoboken Communications Manager Juan Melli, the smell and sludge residue in the wake of the flood is due to the city’s combined sewer system.

“This means that stormwater and sewage are combined in the same pipes,” Melli explained to Patch. “When the system is overwhelmed with heavy rains at high tide, the sewers overflow into the streets. The smell is a combination of stormwater runoff and sewage.”

More information about the city’s flooding issues and sewer system is available online here.

Melli reminded residents that flood waters containing sewage are a health hazard.

“It’s one of the reasons we urge people not to play in or walk through flooded areas,” he said.

CLEANUP EFFORTS

To combat the leftover sludge and smell, municipal environmental service crews work with the fire department to hose down and clean up after storms, Melli said.

“They’ve been working on this since yesterday morning,” he added.

Residents can submit a request to the city to report problem areas and request cleaning by contacting the Hoboken Department of Environmental Services at 201-420-2049, or call the North Hudson Sewerage Authority at 201-963-6043 to request clearing out catch basins.

Photo courtesy of Emily Jabbour

Photo caption: Hoboken city workers hose sewage and flood water off Ninth Street.

Send Hoboken news tips and photos to eric.kiefer@patch.com