MOUNT DORA, Fla. – City leaders are holding a meeting to provide an update on an odor study after years of complaints about a stinky smell in and near parts of Mount Dora.
During the meeting on Tuesday, there will be a discussion about the Mount Dora Wastewater Treatment Facility near U.S. 441 and State Road 46.
Dan Quinn has lived in the nearby Sullivan Ranch neighborhood for 10 years and believes the treatment facility is the source of the odor.
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“For the most part we think it’s the lifting stations,” Quinn said. “At night, especially when the wind settles down, (the smell) can get quite intense.”
The city of Mount Dora said $750,000 was spent to updated the treatment facility, but the odor continued.
The city hired a firm to conduct a study from May until November to determine if the smell originates at the facility, a nearby factory or a landfill in the area.
According to a third-quarter report from the study, preliminary indications showed there was not enough information to support a correlation that the facility odors are traveling to residents.
Part of the study also included a toll-free line for residents to call and report the smell. During the third quarter, the report said there were 846 recorded odor event observations made by 258 residents.
“Keep hassling the city. Eventually they’ll start listening to the people,” Quinn said. “I know it’s not a planned budget issue, but things come up. Things don’t work, you need to do the maintenance to make sure they work.”
The fourth-quarter report is expected to give a full picture on how to move forward with the next steps.
City officials said the full report on the odoriferous situation should be released soon.
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