Has anyone else smelled raw sewage around the corner of Canal and Main St? The smell intermittently permeates the area, all the way down a little into Hinsdale on the way to Walmart, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
Is it coming from Brattleboro’s new wastewater treatment plant? We shouldn’t be smelling that in town, especially the downtown area where there’s a relative high number of people. So disgusting, just another reason to move.
Yes I have!
I have noticed that unpleasant smell in Harris Lot as well; yuck!
CSO
My understanding, without having researched it thoroughly, is that this is the result of a phenomenon called ‘Combined Stormwater Overflow.’ When the sewers and storm drains in parts of town (and many, many other towns in the U.S.) were first built our fore-parents didn’t have the funds to build two sets of pipes, so they made due with one. The result is that whenever there is a rain event the sewers where CSO is present get overwhelmed and instead of going to the wastewater treatment plant get diverted directly into the Connecticut River. I will do a bit of investigation and see how prevalent CSO is in Brattleboro.
Anyone who’s canoed on the Connecticut past a city during a rain will attest to the commonness of this kind of stinky event.
Co-op Trash
Months of frozen waste and dog poop, unleashed by the warm weather in all its glory and washed right into the Whetstone! Near malfunction junction, it forms a rich melange, compounded with the new coop’s special new trash system. Several friends who work at the coop have mentioned this before. The coop disposes of its waste materials (non-compostable) via a compactor-fed shipping container, which is trucked away and replaced when full. Typically it sits for a few weeks, I’m told, until it fills. When it warms up, word is that the immediate area, both near the loading dock and inside the back storage rooms, becomes filled with an “unbearable” odor. I found this out when I inquired about it, after parking near that area and being hit with a remarkable wave of decaying-flesh smell.
"Just Another Reason to Move?"
Another anonymous cheap shot about our town. Move away!
Neither Flanders nor Flatlanders
It rubs me the wrong way to hear the call for contrarians who speak up to move away.
Until you know the complete circumstances of a person, compassion and forbearance might be a better policy than urging exile for the less than effusive among us.
It's people like John who
It’s people like John who keep people posting anonymously. He actually called a town office to try to look up information about me because he didn’t like some things I’d posted. I found it a bit creepy to be honest…well, actually to be honest I found it a lot creepy.
Brattleboro is a nice town but if you can’t take a little criticism or contrary opinion because this little town is beyond reproach then you really need to get out of the bubble and do a little moving yourself.
Not to mention that the post
Not to mention that the post he “trashes” wasn’t even all that critical, in fact I thought it was a bit poetic-al.
Anyone who can use melange in a paragraph that includes decaying-flesh is okay in my book.
Wrong!
I called the Town Assessor’s office to verify a claim you had made that your property taxes had doubled. Would you rather I had asked your permission first?
Even if so, I would have done it anyway. If we are going to have serious discussions about public policy here, they have to be about the truth. Property tax assessments are everybody’s business, and they are therefore public information. We have the principle of transparency in government to stand up for, remember?
Turns out that your claim is unverifiable because there is no record of real property held in your name in the town. But then that might mean that you are just another coward, sniping from behind a rock, and poisoning the public debate about property taxes with false claims.
Plus, I am on the Town Finance Committee, so I have a responsibility to the taxpayers to verify claims like yours and investigate whether something should be done about them.
Did you check on the other
Did you check on the other two posters who also said their property taxes had doubled?
“But then that might mean that you are just another coward, sniping from behind a rock, and poisoning the public debate about property taxes with false claims.”
Poisoning the public debate? Really, is that what the other two posters were doing also or just me.
Reaffirming Their Suggestion
… if you read the original post carefully, you will recall the poster said “just another reason to move away”. I was just reaffirming that idea, in part because I am sick to death of people running our Town down.
Brattleboro is one of the best small towns in the USA, and therefore in the world, to live in. Count your blessings! And if you have a problem with something in our Town, step up to the plate and do something about it! Don’t just blame an anonymous ‘them’. And doing so anonymously yourself renders the whole discussion ridiculous.
Personally John, I'd rather
Personally John, I’d rather you not know who I am. It’s hard enough to deal with you as it is. Posting anonymously allows avoiding your jabs and tirades in person. I’m glad you’re on the finance committee and not the welcome wagon. As for stepping and doing something, how would you know whether I do or not, since I’m apparently anonymous.
If the smell fits wear it.
Hard to believe such noxious odors could come from such an environmentally green town. Maybe this smell is just a sign of how things really are in Brattleboro.
If you hate everything about
If you hate everything about this town (which you obviously do since you never have anything positive to say) why do you continue to live here? Why subject yourself to such a horrible place?
Just checked back in to see
Just checked back in to see the responses, and wow. I didn’t realize a simple concern would elicit that much anger. If someone can get so worked up over a sewage smell post, I shudder to think how’d they’d react to a critique that could remotely be considered personal.
If my intentions were to trash talk the town and give it a bad name, iBrattleboro would not be the place to bring it up. It would be much mroe effective to bring it to tourist websites, like Tripadvisor, where there’s plenty of potential tourists to scare off. iBrattleboro is a place for locals to discuss local issues, and I simply seek local opinions.
I like Brattleboro; it has plenty of good qualities. However, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The median income is well below the state and national average, while the cost of living, poverty level, violent crime and property crime are all significantly higher. To the people who lash out and demand exile for anyone who dare raise a concern, well, guess what? You’re getting your wish. People are leaving. We’ve lost over 10% of our population from 2000 to 2012. Yes, there are still people who don’t mind smelling sewage, or crime, or being surrounded by poverty. If you prefer those kind people as your neighbor, congratulations; that’s who you’re getting.
It would be nice to be able to express valid concerns in the hopes of making Brattleboro a better place without people getting so defensive.
I appreciate the thought that some gave to figuring out what the smell is about. Insufficient sewage drainage, coop garbage; both interesting theories. I’m not sure if the coop garbage smell would be able to extend all the way into Hinsdale, but I suppose it’s possible. Perhaps it’s still a bit of a mystery. Regardless, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one noticing it. Hopefully, someone can come up with a definitive answer and help give Brattleboro a fresh new start 🙂
My sediments exactly!
My sediments exactly!
Still a Problem
Turns out the smell has affected a lot of people, and is coming from the new wastewater treatment plant. The Reformer even had an article on it back in February- http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_25118231/32m-stink-neighbors-complain-about-smell-from-new
The town should fix this asap! There’s plenty of technology to remedy the situation. Sewage is one of the worst things to make people smell, especially when it’s coming into your home, and there’s no way to escape it.
The smell was particularly
The smell was particularly bad late yesterday afternoon/early evening. First time I’ve noticed it being this offensive in my neighborhood -Oak St area.