the smell?

[eljefe]

Has anyone else noticed it? The distinct smell of sewer in some parts of town. I've smelled it occasionally in many places between Craddock and campus, so I'm pretty sure it's not my house... Where is the wastewater treatment plant?

[semi-native]

I've noticed it where I am too, between campus and Craddock. It seems like I've noticed it in the evenings more than other times. Of course, that's when I'm home. Duh!

I doubt it is your house, unless you live next door to me. The sewage treatment plant is way on the other side of town, by the animal shelter. The smell can be pretty bad over there, but I doubt it would carry all the way to us. If it did, that would mean most of the city probably could smell it, unless our elevation has something to do with it.

[eljefe]

Yeah, there were a few still summertime evenings where it was pretty bad, but even a couple of nights ago I got the occasional wif. I think I'm a few blocks closer to campus than you. Is there a storm drain collection area in our neighborhood that could be filling up with organic matter? I think it has to be something with the design of the sewer system and the way it vents gas, or doesn't.

[semi-native]

I don't know how/where the drainage system runs in our area.

There's a dry creek that runs through Schulle Canyon, which gets a lot of runoff when it rains. I doubt that's it, though, as it would not have the venting issues that a storm drain would have. I don't remember the smell coinciding with anything unusual down there anyway.

[flapjak]

You may be smelling the oil and gases from the Luling, Staretown, Prarie Lea area south of us on Hwy 80. It smells like the worst bathroom stench, and is not at all like the smell of gasoline. When the wind is blowing from the south you will notice it. I've been smelling it since the 1970's.