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You smell that?
08/17/2014 5:24 PM by John M
From Paul:
Do your readers have any insight into the origin of the horrible sulfurous odor permeating the bottom today and wafting up the hill? It’s really awful..
TAGGED: question
Had the unpleasant experience. Was totally rotten.
Gas leaks? Has anyone investigated and alerted the public?
I know I was getting a whiff of something being pulled into the house by the A/C and to me had an odd almost ink print varnish-like smell. It has somewhat gone.
I called the city, they just came out. The public works guy said they have been “chasing a ghost all day” since 1600hrs. He said there is a paper plant off hospital rd that is making paper, causing the smell. He said they have done calls from Cary st all the way to Chimborazo. He said they are still answering all the calls and measuring for gas… Which they haven’t found any leaks yet…
He said the same thing happened last year around the same time. Evidentially this isn’t something the plant consistently manufactures.
Smelled it this morning when I was rode through the hill. Depending on the wind, Montrose Heights gets teo strong smells: Nilla Wafers or that same smell (the Dump) quite often. Maybe a stronger breeze carrying it through? Yuck
Don’t worry ya’ll. It’s me. Haven’t showered yet today. My bad.
When I spoke with a fireman at the station around 5 he said it was from Vallley Road? near the jail incinerator. He mentioned waste treatment I think, I am saying incinerator. I have no idea. But he said it was def not gas.
Thanks Daniel S. UtilityBuddy says on Twitter tat there was a Hazmat crew sent to 710 Hospital Street for something burning. That paper plant?
710 Hospital Street shows as Reco Biodiesel / Biotechnology on Google Maps.
I smelled it and thought it was my neighbor working on some trucks. It smelled like oil to me. Then I drove a few blocks, got on I-64 east, and I could still smell it. I could not shake it until I was at White Oak.
I live in Chimborazo and i have smelled the same exact smell every so often (maybe every couple weeks consistently for almost the year we have been here. ) We don’t have ac so we have the windows open all night and it gets pretty gross. Never as bad as today though, but definitely the same exact smell. If this is really a paper plant then they are definitely manufacturing something that produces the smell on a regular basis just to a smaller degree. I always thought it was the sewar or just like the ground here since it seemed to emerge after it rains. If this is a paper plant, it should be shut down. This is unacceptable!
It’s 11 p.m. and it still stinks out there. Actually, I think it’s stronger now than it was earlier.
Okay, it’s so bad I finally called the city. Lady was super nice, said it’s coming from Hospital St., they had a haz-mat team there, supposedly it’s safe to breathe, but they are still checking all gas leaks. They actually found one gas leak, the rest were all attributed to the place on Hospital St. IT REEKS and is worse now than it was earlier. She said it’s worse on Union Hill and around Jefferson Park for people who are closer to Hospital St. They’ve had reports from Mechanicsville Pike, all over Church Hill and Fulton. I’m basically repeating what everyone else here has said, I guess.
Eric, so that’s the smell from the Shockoe Valley Bridge… it sometimes smells like the creek has backed up and stagnated. Great, two gateways into downtown smell!
I find it odd that none of the local news stations has anything about this online. Did the city say “what” was causing the smell?
It seems like everyone is translating this smell differently, but…there is definately an intermittent odor downtown.
Does this mean we can go home now?
RFD: No danger from downtown Richmond gas smell
http://www.nbc12.com/story/26305161/rfd-no-danger-from-downtown-richmond-gas-smell
http://www.timesdispatch.com/local/city-of-richmond/dry-storm-water-system-leads-to-richmond-gas-smell-fire/article_89af53ea-26ea-11e4-b716-0017a43b2370.html
The city told me it was Reco. Definitely smells more like a paper mill than gas, but you never know!
I have never heard of a “dry” storm drain causing that much of a stink for miles around? I thought any sewer drainage line emits methane flammable? And could some runoff or dumping by that biodiesel plant be part of the cause? Maybe the EPA needs to investigate?
I smell BS on th cities part….. This all does not add up. Kinda scary actually…. what are they really trying to cover up?
This is sketchy. Look at the facts
10. The public works guy told Daniel S. that it was a paper plant of hospital st.
13. fire dept told alli it was waste treatment
19. crd was told by the city that HAZMAT was dispatched and they found ONE leak.
22. Utility buddy said it was sewere odor from back up
25. from NBC Richmond fire said it was lack of water in the storm system
26. crd posted from RTD that it was lack of water in sewere and there was NO gas leaks?
These stories are all over the place! what to beleive?!!
And its not like we are in a drought! we have had rain. I remember the years when there was water restrictions etc. nothing like this. And for gases to be traveling in the air… that far… so concentrated?
For anyone to declare that it is safe to breathe sounds very much like a cover-up. They can’t possibly know that. When something smells, it’s usually not good to breathe it in. The city has big problems with the sewer system, which they have neglected to address for decades in spite of EPA mandates. We need to demand answers.
We sure do need answers. Like John said, it is all over the place and doesn’t add up. The EPA needs to investigate.
Youre right….its a cover up. and teh odor is really an alien invasion. They come in through the sinus cavity and …….(theyve found me!)
The company’s profile on their website below. I still wonder if there was a spill or something and covered up?
Reco Biotechnology, our trade name for Aqua Clean Environmental of Virginia, LLC Company, is regarded as a comprehensive provider for non hazardous waste management services. Our facilities, conveniently located near I95 @ I64 in Richmond, VA offer bioremediation, physical and chemical liquids treatment, fuel recycling, processing and disposal for a variety of industrial and environmental clean-up residuals. A wide range of material is accepted in bulk, drum and tote quantities. We also have a Biodiesel production facility at this location.
I mountain biked past the waste water treatment plant on Sat and Sun. The odor would have gagged a maggot there.
It appeared they were working on the settling basins all weekend. Perhaps removing sludge?
When I biked past this area on Wed, the odor was still there but less apparent.