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Residents tell council of recurring sewage odors; staff says manhole fixes and charcoal filters planned
Summary
Residents of Evergreen Avenue described two years of recurring sewage odor entering homes and reported respiratory impacts. City staff said engineers inspected the city's manhole, will apply fixes similar to county work (sealing, charcoal filters, addressing air relief valve) and expect a near‑term solution within weeks, with further investigation if the problem persists.
James Yacks of 367 Evergreen Avenue told the council that sewage odors have repeatedly entered his home over roughly the past two years, describing an episode after returning from vacation in which a strong sewage smell filled his bedroom and caused breathing symptoms. Neighbor Rose Beckstrom corroborated frequent smells at specific times of day and said the odor has kept the family from routinely using outdoor spaces and may be affecting property values.
Staff responded that the city and county have been working on the issue for months. The county had recently modified their manholes near the intersection of College and Cedar — installing charcoal filters and rerouting gas back into their system — and city engineers inspected the city's manhole the same afternoon. Staff said the city had previously sealed its manhole and shut off an air relief valve; additional materials have been ordered to apply the county's charcoal‑filter approach to the city manhole and staff hoped to have a fix in place within weeks. If odors persist after that work, staff said they will perform further examinations.
City staff offered to meet with the residents after the meeting for follow‑up and to provide periodic updates on remediation progress.
