by Dennis Dalman
Once again, Sartell is trying to do something about odors in the city emanating from its sewer system – a problem that has been ongoing, more or less, for years.
At its last meeting, the city council approved $50,000 for a pilot program using a new chemical that is supposed to reduce the presence of hydrogen sulfide and other odor-causing chemicals. Hydrogen sulfide has a “rotten egg” smell.
The odors in Sartell are sometimes apparent at the city’s 10 lift stations, but by far the worst and most persistent odors have been noticed in and near lift station 1, which is near Riverside Avenue N. south of the Heim’s Mill area. For at least 10 years, the city has received complaints about the odoriferous air in the lift station 1 location.
The pilot test program will be done at lift station 1. It will start this spring and go on into the summer.
All of the city’s sewage lines connect to lift station 1 from which wastewater is piped to a wastewater treatment plant in St. Cloud, with which Sartell has a contract to treat it (and other cities’) sewage.
The city has tried a variety of methods to reduce the odors: carbon filters, chemical treatments and so forth. Some methods worked to some degree, but the odor problems more or less remain.
Sartell currently spends $12,000 a month for chemicals that are supposed to reduce the odors.
