Something stinks on Linwood Avenue and Water Pollution Control Facility Director Guy Campinha is the first to admit the obvious culprit is to blame.

Located less than a half mile from the treatment facility on Linwood Avenue, residents say the smell of raw sewage keeps them awake at night and their complaints to town officials have fallen on deaf ears. Now they're seeking legal counsel to help them get back their quality of life.

“It’s horrible. The smell is rancid. It really takes its toll on us. You can’t even enjoy the spring and summer. We’re miserable,” said Robin Plant, a 21-year resident of Linwood Avenue.

On Friday, the smell from her front porch was unmistakable. Plant and her neighbors agree the stench is exacerbated in the summer heat and becomes unbearable at night. Plant said she feels uncomfortable inviting visitors to her home because she is “mortified” by the stink.

“We’re so embarrassed. We can’t have a cookout,” Plant explained.

In his first summer on the job, Campinha says he is listening to the residents' concerns and is committed to rectifying the situation.

“I am not just listening to them. I hear them. I’ve been to their backyards and I can smell what they’re saying,” he said. “Their concerns are legitimate.”

Campinha said the origin of the stench is the facility’s uncovered “raw wastewater overflow basin,” which holds the town’s raw sewage outside the facility before it is treated. The basin is uncovered and exposed to the elements.

Campinha said the smell worsens at night because there is a spike in septic use. During peak times the sewage floods the basins and its stench is whisked downwind to Linwood Avenue, Campinha noted.

This explanation comes as a relief to Linwood Avenue resident Lauralee Sass, who says town officials have told neighbors for years that the smell was the result of low tide or their own failing septic systems.

“It is clearly the plant,” said Sass, who has lived on Linwood Avenue for nine years with her husband and four children. “It’s ruining our quality of life. ... And we get no response."

Plant said she has sought legal counsel to advise her and her neighbors.

“My emails [to town officials] haven’t stopped in four years. I have contacted them every day for the past three weeks,” she said. “I know Guy is trying, but as far as the town is concerned, they don’t care."

Phone calls to Town Administrator Mark Andrews were not returned.

Campinha said measures have already been taken to eliminate the smell, but noted that removing the smell will not happen over night.

"I have been authorized by Mr. Andrews to do what it takes to resolve the issue," Campinha added.

The pump stations that move the sewage are now being timed to avoid surges in activity. Chemical treatments will also be added to the basins to help control the smell, Campinha said.

Two weeks ago Campinha enlisted the help of Waltham-based TechEnvironmental, a company which specializes in odor removal at sewage treatment facilities. The company provided Campinha with an “action plan” to remedy the problem

At the suggestion of TechEnvironmental, Campinha said the pipes which carry sewage to the facility will be cleaned and basins enclosed to ensure the smell can no longer be carried by the wind.

“We want to give these people a good Fourth of July and a good summer,” Campinha said last week. “My goal is to be able to have a burger with these people in their yard this summer.”