The problems at the town sewer department don’t pass the smell test for nearby residents.

About a dozen people came to Thursday night’s Board of Sewer Commissioners meeting to air concerns with the air quality and odors that have been emanating from the sewer department on Tony’s Lane for weeks.

“We know that situations happen, but this is the worst we’ve ever had,” said Anne Ames, a resident of more than 30 years who lives on Sandwich Road.

Ames and other residents described the smell coming from the sewer plant as “nauseating”, “offensive", and “vicious”, and claimed it was disruptive to their lives and even caused headaches and other ailments.

The Sewer Commissioners and Water Pollution Control Facility Director Guy Campinha both apologized to the residents, vowed to improve communication going forward, and explained that the smells don’t pose a health risk and should be eradicated within a day or two.

According to Campinha, the odors from the plant arose, because the basin which holds 500,000 gallons of raw sewage was unable to be cleared before the abnormally harsh winter, and turned anaerobic when the basin froze over. Because the liquid in the basin became anaerobic, it was unable to be brought into the plant. When the liquid thawed in the warmer months, it produced the intense odors many in the surrounding neighborhoods have been dealing with for weeks.

Resident Sally Morrison said that the smells started on April 18 and have reached as far as the Minot Forest Elementary School. “There was a two week period where some days got up to 80 degrees and we couldn’t open a window,” Morrison said.

Campinha said that the basin is a foot away from being empty, after which it will be bleached and taken offline until next year. Campinha said the problem should be solved by the end of the day Friday, and that there are deodorizing misters adjacent to the basin to help mitigate the smells.

“It caught us by surprise,” he said. “We never anticipated the magnitude or duration of the smell.”

Campinha said the department is looking into ways to prevent a situation such as this from happening next year.

Sewer Commissioners Chairman Marilyn Jordan said that the board will proactive and improve its communication with ratepayers to keep them more aware of work being done within the department.