Neighbors complain of smells from plant

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla., April 25 (UPI) -- Neighbors of a Florida sewage treatment plant say when the wind is in the wrong direction the atmosphere is downright unpleasant.

The Ray Bullard Wastewater Reclamation Facility in West Melbourne was surrounded by empty land when it was built in the 1950s, Florida Today reports. As late as 1969, aerial photographs show the plant in splendid isolation.

Now, hundreds of people live within a few blocks, many of them in Hollywood Estates, a 410-house subdivision. One Hollywood Estates resident, Patricia Travis, complained to the West Melbourne City Council last week that the smell from the plant often prevents her from gardening and barbecuing outside and her grandchildren from playing outside when they visit.

"Sometimes, the smell was like a two-day-old diaper. Other times, it's very much a chemical smell," Travis said. "We need a significant improvement in monitoring and control of the sewage plant stink."

Veolia Water North America, which operates the plant, says it is working on the problem. The company is supposed to report back to the council in three months with odor-elimination plans.