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Residents and council press for answers after yearlong sanitary odor in Woodhills area
Summary
Council discussed persistent sewage-like odors in parts of the Woodhills neighborhood that residents say have lasted about a year despite county utility and state agency involvement; city staff said Lake County utilities are investigating and the city will press for answers and consider offering assistance or outside resources to pinpoint the source.
Council members raised a continuing sanitary-odor problem affecting parts of the Woodhills neighborhood during the Sept. 16 Mentor City Council meeting, saying residents have reported a nausea-inducing sewage smell for nearly a year.
A council member said the issue has been referred to the Lake County utilities department and that state agencies including the Ohio EPA and the Lake Health Department have been involved, but residents remain without a resolution. "At the end of this month, it's 1 year and...maybe another party should have been brought in already," a council member said, adding that residents are frustrated by lack of progress.
City Manager Ken acknowledged the concern, said the county has devoted resources to find the source and that the problem appears localized to the neighborhood's sanitary manholes. He urged residents to report incidents with time and date stamps to help pinpoint the source and said the city could offer assistance or consider outside contractors if the county requests help. "We know what the problem is, it's sewage. But we can't figure out what that source is," Ken said.
Council debated whether the city should hire outside specialists to locate the source if county efforts continue to stall. One council member suggested methane detectors or other monitoring tools as part of detection efforts.
What happens next: City staff said they will follow up with the county utility manager and provide a contact number or email for residents to report incidents; the council asked the administration to stay on top of the investigation and consider additional resources as needed.
