JENKINS TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Residents of a Luzerne County neighborhood say they are very concerned about a strong chemical odor coming into their homes from the sewer system.
The problem surfaced several months ago in Jenkins Township, just north of Wilkes-Barre.
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They say it has gotten progressively worse.
They say they are concerned about what impact the odors could have on their health.
What is causing all the stink in one part of Luzerne County? That's what residents of a Luzerne County neighborhood want to know.
Residents say the have been smelling a strong chemical odor in their homes for months now. The odor comes and goes away.
We are here along Westminster Road in Jenkins Township, several miles north of Wilkes-Barre. People who live in this area tell me the odors are coming from the sewer lines, and into their homes. Now an investigation is underway to find the source of those odors.
Sunday night we had a sewer back up into the house from the main street, it had a strong odor chemical," said Joe Semyon, Jenkins Township.
Joseph Semyon says he has been smelling that that odor for the past several months, but the sewer back up over the weekend was a wake up call that something was in the sewer lines that possibly should not be there.
After we located the problem, our lateral had to be replaced. The trap was blocked with a graphite type substance, not sure what it is yet.
These are photos of that unknown substance.
"Whatever was in the trap was definitely a foreign substance, it wasn't something that normally comes from sewer discharge," stated Semyor.
Mike Dudeck lives along Westminster Road and says he's smelled the chemical odors off and on for the past several months.
"So now we have some concerns, environmental issues of our homes. Where is this coming from, the odor and stuff? Are our sewers going to back up?," asked Dudeck.
Jenkins Township officials say they have taken samples from the sewer line to determine what might be causing the odors and the source of those odors.
"The next step is to see what the samples were take, if they say anything, and address them," Ron Giza, Jenkins Twp. Code Enforcement Officer.
"The smell, I don't know where the smell is coming from. We opened manholes upstream, there is a foul smell," added Joe Sperrazza, Jenkins Township Supervisor.
A spokesperson for the State Department of Environmental Protection sent a statement to the I-team:
"The Department of Environmental Protection was made aware of a chemical smell in a sewer line in Jenkins Township, Luzerne County this month. The DEP is working with the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority to identify the source of the odor. Residents are urged to continue calling the DEP's complaint line at 826-2511 if they experience an odor or file a complaint online."
Department of Environmental Protection
The Executive Director of the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority tells the I-team they sent out a "Lab team" Thursday to take samples from the sewer lines here, and they will be sent for testing. We are still working the story and will have more in the days ahead.
