Odor of raw sewage plaguing South Land Park. When will the stench go away?

The smell of raw sewage is in the air in a Sacramento neighborhood.

Residents of South Land Park have been plagued by rancid, foul odors for the last few weeks. The source was identified this week when residents shared their complaints with Councilman Rick Jennings at a community meeting Saturday. A call to city utilities officials revealed a leak at the city’s sewage interceptor at 35th Avenue.

The issue, said Dennis Rogers, Jennings’ chief of staff, is a break in the sewer line near the juncture where wastewater transfers from city pipes to Regional Sanitation pipes, specifically a valve on the force main, with is a pressurized pipe 48 inches in diameter.

“Those aren’t on the shelf at Home Depot,” he said.

A replacement part could take up to 10 months to arrive because it has to be fabricated and shipped, he said.

Regional Sanitation approved and funded a request for repairs Wednesday, Rogers said, and Jennings brought the issue to the city manager’s office who expedited the repairs ahead of an April 5 City Council meeting.

“We have truncated and expedited everything that we possible can to get this done,” he said.

In addition to securing a permanent fix for the problem, city staff are also trying to get odor suppression equipment in place to abate the stench that is still wafting through south Sacramento.

The odor suppression equipment is scheduled to be delivered Wednesday and installed by March 23, Rogers said, but the county and city are trying to speed up the process.

“It’s an active sewer line so it won’t be instantaneous,” he said.

Regional San spokeswoman Nicole Coleman said in a statement that initial steps to reduce the odor are expected to be in place by week’s end.

“While these odors are a nuisance, they do not pose a risk to public health,” she said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 2:41 PM.