Squamish homeowner Jessica Udell is feeling rotten about a watermain construction project on Vancouver Street that she was notified of just days after putting her home up for sale.
She says the ensuing drainage water woes, a closed street and a rotten-egg stench have threatened both her plans to relocate and her organic clothing business.
The family had hoped to move to a new home before Udell’s children began school again, but she says her real estate agent was forced to cancel showings after dark, stinky sludge was pumped into her front yard.
“If we had six weeks notice, it would have been sold,” said Udell.
“The District knew there was going to be work – I think there should be some more warning to people like us. Our house is in a very sought after neighbourhood, right close to the waterfront, but people don’t even drive on our street anymore.”
The work being done is the replacement of two sewers on Vancouver Street and Third Avenue. The new sewers will increase capacity to service the Newport Beach oceanfront development.
Letters from the District informing residents of the project were delivered on July 26, with work beginning eight days later on Aug. 2. On Aug. 9, a drainage pipe was installed in the ditch in front of the Udell’s house and dirty, dark water began to drain out.
Then Udell and her neighbours say they began smelling something foul – the stinky smell of hydrogen sulfide. Originally black, the iron-rich water draining into the ditch began to turn orange as it oxidized. Almost a month later, the entire block still stinks of rotten eggs.
The smell comes from the construction work taking place, which involves placing a pipe four metres below the ground. As crews dig, the hole fills with water, which needs to be continuously drained for the work to take place.
“That rotten-egg smell is naturally occurring in local groundwater, and it’s caused by decaying organic plant matter located beneath the ground,” said Dave Marrow, the District of Squamish’s director of major projects. “The smell is not uncommon, but the intensity of the smell was not anticipated.”
Marrow said both air and water quality testing were conducted by the District, and the tests concluded that the levels of hydrogen sulfide are a nuisance, not a health risk. He said in the future, the District will consider warning residents in advance when the smell is expected.
“It’s just a very strong smell, an unpleasant smell, but there’s no risk to human health at all,” he said.
A guest staying at an AirBnb rental further down the street told The Chief that she had complained to the owners of the rental about the unexpected smell.
After Udell contacted the District, the pipe draining the stinky water in front of her house was relocated across the street. The water is now being drained into the orange pond west of Third Avenue.
“When she contacted us, we went out there and realized that was not an adequate decision [to drain the water into the ditch],” said Marrow.
Although there’s no new grime splashing in front of her house, Udell is still upset that potential homebuyers are being met with a closed down street, a muddy yard and the smell of rotten eggs.
Construction on the project is supposed to wrap up in November. As the work progresses, Marrow said they will be able to do less and less water draining.
“For projects like this, it’s difficult to provide specific details in advance,” he said. “There’s tight timelines when tenders close and we don’t always know when the project will get going. We do our best to inform residents and business owners of upcoming projects, and we recognize that earlier notice would have been helpful in this case.”
“We do apologize for the late notification, especially for Ms. Udell. We obviously empathize with her, she’s in a tough position,” said Marrow.
Marrow said the incident has made the District review its communications policies.
“Moving forward, I think there are opportunities to improve how we communicate about these projects,” he said.
