Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio drew laughs when he said "It took my eyebrows off!"
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE A vile sewage odor has hung over the south side of the city for the past week, but representatives of the Lambertville Sewerage Authority said they expect to have the problem rectified by today (March 18.)
If you were lucky enough to miss it, you might wonder how bad the problem is.
Mayor David Del Vecchio gave it a unique description when he said, "Thursday, it took my eyebrows off."
The mayor’s comment drew laughs and had some heads nodding in agreement during Monday’s meeting of the City Council, when representatives of the authority’s board addressed the problem.
"It wasn’t pretty," agreed Al Komjathy, chairman of the authority’s board. "It made it very difficult for residents in the south end of town."
The problem is related to a piece of sludge-holding equipment that broke last summer. The authority now is emptying a tank that has held sludge for 20 years and will ship it to Ohio for disposal, according to Mr. Komjathy.
By the end of the week the smell should be gone, although upgrades will continue to the system through the summer, he said.
"Hopefully this is a short-term problem that will have long-term results," Mr. Komjathy said.
If residents continue to notice smells, they should call the authority.
"The board takes these complaints very seriously," Mr. Komjathy said. "We will meet with residents if necessary."
During business hours, residents can contact Executive Director Jim Meehan at 397-1496. After hours, complaints may be directed to a pager number, (888) 226-0299. Residents also may contact Frank Kramer, secretary of the board, at 397-0515.
"If you can’t reach me, call (police) Director (Bruce) Cocuzza," Mr. Komjathy said. "He knows how to reach me, and we’ll get on it right away."
The authority this week announced $3.2 million worth of planned upgrades at the treatment facility and in the sewer collection system.
The projects include replacements, additions and alterations to the pump stations at North Union, Ferry and Swan streets. The upgrades include converting to an airtight sludge holding tank. Sludge will be chemically treated and mixed in the holding tank, utilizing state-of-the-art mixing equipment where it is prepared for further processing and de-watering.
The odors produced in this process will be removed through a vacuumed air duct, according to the release from the authority, and cleansed in an activated carbon air scrubber before being released into the open air. This will improve air quality surrounding the treatment facility and provide a more efficient sludge processing operation.
This project is scheduled to be completed in August.