HAVERHILL, Mass. — Something’s been stinking up this neighborhood for years — and local leaders have vowed to find out just what’s causing it.

Residents in the Bradford village of Haverhill — a city north of Boston, near the New Hampshire border — are rejoicing now that their City Council announced it would be investigating a local septic company, which neighbors say has been torturing them with odors for several years.

City councilors plan to address the smells at both Stewart’s Septic Service on South Kimball Street and the city’s wastewater treatment plant on South Porter Street.

Marcia Romatelli, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years, called out both Stewart’s and the city’s wastewater treatment plant for blaming each other for the smells. 

Consistently ‘unbreathable’

Residents, several of whom reside only doors away from Stewart’s, said they had been complaining to the city for years and that nothing had been done.

Resident Cindy Balukas said she has kept a log dating back six years that lists every time she has smelled human waste.

“The odor in my neighborhood is consistently unbreathable,” Balukas said. “I have over 75 signatures from residents in my neighborhood who want the odors to stop, and I have pictures of trucks leaking coming out of Stewart’s Septic facility.”

“Over the last four years, the odor has become increasingly disgusting,” she said.

One councilor suggested the possibility of closing Stewart’s Septic down.

“It’s not suited for that neighborhood and it’s a disgrace that it’s been there that long,” councilor William Ryan said. “Maybe they could get some financial relief from the government to find another location, but it shouldn’t be near those houses.”

As for the wastewater plant, Robert Ward, the city’s wastewater superintendent, has been working on odor control measures since last fall. He said capping the tanks would cost roughly $25 million. 

He said the plant has been conducting on-site monitoring at the plant and will analyze the data using a computer program. “From that study, we’ll know what the problem is and (what) the alternatives are.” 

Ward said that while the study won’t analyze Stewart’s, it will determine whether the treatment plant is contributing to the stench in the neighborhood.

“We’ve spent considerable money on odor control, up around $1.5 million on equipment,” he said, adding that the wastewater plant has its own distinct odor. 

Peter Francis writes for The Eagle-Tribune.