Comments on: LETTER Sewer Smell at Beach and Harbor Discourages Tourism

By: Don & Deborah Bender

Don & Deborah Bender — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 23:41:02 +0000

99 percent of the time whenever we put our boat over at the harbor or ride over to the harbor the sewer plant REEKS. The sewer plant can also be smelled at Rayfield’s if the wind is blowing in that direction. Hats off to the Panek/Sullivan/Bannon/Natali regime for putting that stinking plant right up close to the road for all to smell AND for putting it right next to the Historic Rosenwald School.

By: Joseph Corcoran

Joseph Corcoran — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 16:23:03 +0000

I have to amend my original comment on “the smell”: I was standing between the “Eagle Scout” restrooms and the flagpole and there was a smell of raw sewage. As most of you know, the old sewage plant that did not do much treatment used to be just east of the restrooms.

By: Mike Kuzma

Mike Kuzma — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 16:01:42 +0000

We stopped in on the way down to the grandparents’ place on Saturday night — stopped at the public toilets near the pier — oh dear lord! It might benefit the town to empty them occasionally. THAT was the source of the smell. That and low tide. A well run wastewater treatment facility has minimal smells. And having visited many many gas station rest rooms over the decades, I can tell you that that was no sewer treatment plant smell.

By: Janis Gleason

Janis Gleason — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 03:30:31 +0000

Thank you gentlemen for your comments, however, I know the difference between sewer waste smell and the mud smell that’s encountered at various places around the shore. Didn’t smell anything at the beach and boat ramp until the treatment plant started operating. If you want to pretend it’s not there its up to you.

By: Joe Matthews

Joe Matthews — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 16:16:10 +0000

I agree with Mr. Corcoran. We put in daily or at least check in at dock. Smell is there on the drive in and out going past it, but neither on the docks nor at the Shanty do you seem to notice it. We also attend sunsets at Cape Charles beach on a regular basis and I have never noticed the distinctive aroma there. Low tide yes, bunker or other bait fish yes, but never processing/processed sewage

By: Joseph Corcoran

Joseph Corcoran — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:14:25 +0000

I wonder if the aroma reported is not from the waste water treatment plant and is the normal low-tide aroma? I know of some places that have a lot of decaying kelp on the beach that have very strong aromas. The only time I have noticed the new plant smell is when I am right next to it with the wind from the south. On the beach the wind is almost always from the northwest or southwest so that beach goers are not downwind of the plant.