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Residents urge Rowlett to fix 'abhorent' sewer odors; city says staff investigating
Summary
Residents from Liberty Grove told council they are being exposed to recurring sewer odors and alleged health risks; the city manager said staff have installed filters, sealed manholes and consulted engineers while asking residents to report occurrences to help capture intermittent events.
Residents from the Liberty Grove neighborhood made urgent public comments at the Nov. 18 Rowlett City Council meeting, saying persistent sewer odors are affecting daily life and raising safety concerns.
"The sewer smell in this area is abhorrent... H2S is a dangerous and poison gas," said Lisonbee Felderhoff, a Liberty Grove resident, who told council she has been living with regular sewage odors and asked the city to hold contractors accountable after stating, “Rowlett paid Circle H contractors $4,402,544.80 of our taxpayer money for this project.” Felderhoff called for redesign, odor control systems, independent experts and expedited corrective action.
Dan Hapt, another nearby resident, described technical problems with vent stacks and recommended interim and longer-term technical remedies, including hydrogen peroxide injection into lift stations, wet scrubbers and replacing gravity-fed lines with pressurized lines to reduce gas buildup.
City staff responded that the issue is being treated as a priority. The city manager (speaker 12) told council staff have inspected the area multiple times, installed charcoal air filters, sealed manhole covers after observing seepage and removed some vents; the manager said the challenge is the odor’s intermittent nature and urged residents to report occurrences so crews can respond promptly. "We're not resting until it's resolved," the city manager said, adding the city has engaged engineering professionals and will continue follow-up.
Council did not vote on an action item tied to the sewer complaints during the meeting but indicated staff would continue investigations and report back to council.
