Pee-ew!

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Hey, has anyone else noticed that Davis Square stinks?

I don't mean that metaphorically. I mean, really. For the past few nights, when I've walked into the Square for ice-cream, there's been this terrible sewage/garbage stench in the air. It seems to be much worse by the storm-drains, especially the one by the water fountain in front of J.P. Licks. Tonight we couldn't even sit there to eat our ice-cream it was so nasty.

I guess I'll give D.P.W. a call tomorrow when I can get a break at work, but I was just wondering if anyone else had noticed?

Also, does the relevant Alderperson have reliable e-mail contact? Is an alderbeing even the right person to talk to?

Comments

[theviper.livejournal.com]

call 311 and put a request in...as far as i know they answer it 24 hours a day.

unless it's a reoccurring issue (or the DPW doesn't or can't take care of it), i don't think it would be necessary to bring the attention of your alderwoman...

http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/Department.cfm?orgunit=ALDERMEN

[theviper.livejournal.com]

on another note, i went to redbones tonight and didn't notice it, but i didn't walk through the square, i drove through it.

[inkscarred.livejournal.com]

yes, i've noticed over the past several months (on and off) near jp licks as well as near redbones.

[evilbunnymayhem.livejournal.com]

YES. I was there tonight and smelt the funk... tried to sit for awhile (poor folksinger was good but his audience kept leaving) thinking maybe it was a garbage truck or someone who smelt foul walking by... but not, it was sewage or something worse. Mostly round the JP Licks area really, maybe just around the corner.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

Awful! It's not just there, I noticed it this weekend around Porter Square and between PS and Harvard Square. What is up!?

[kjc.livejournal.com]

Cambridge often smells like standing gray water to me, especially all around the Porter to Harvard area (I lived there 1995-2001 and often noticed it then; now I walk down Oxford street, end to end, twice a week & still often it notice it)... I don't think their rain sewer system is properly separated from their sewage system.

But I haven't noticed it in Davis - although I haven't been in the square in a week, so I wouldn't have if it's a recent problem.

If you call 311, they'll open a service order and give you a tracking number. They ROCK! The recycling guys missed my bin last week - called them & the guy warned me it might not get picked up before the next morning, but it would definitely be handled by then. It was picked up within an hour.

[ron_newman]

It's worth mentioning to the ward alderman - Rebekah@RCN.com .

[hdaemon.livejournal.com]

I noticed it yesterday... coming from the storm-drain that was open and being cleaned out. So my guess is that they are in the process of cleaning them all, which probably stirs up stuff that's been collecting in them for who-knows-how-long. It'll probably clear up after a few days.

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

I have not but I have'nt been there in a while. I smelled it at other locations though, I think the old sewer system spills over into the Drainage systems too. Apparently the Somerville sewer system is pretty old and they still have areas in the sewers with wooden pipes. The whole thing is a mess.

[ariwriter.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with an old system if it works.

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

But it does not work. It is broken in many places and homeowners here "own the line from their house out to main line in the middle of the street". I guess that might be different in other towns where it is more like the gas lines that are maintained by the gas company or city. Many homeowners found out the hard way and have had to pay a lot to have it fixed(this I heard from a local drain guy that came to clear out our main pipe to the street). Also, it is broken in many areas. Water from the sewer should never spill over into the drainage systems or the other way around. I suppose some of the reason for that is that a lot of houses funnel their gutters and bilge pumps into the sewer system causing it to overload in a heavy rain storms. But there is also parts of the city that have really bad sewers and drainage systems that need to be fixed. It is going to cost Somerville a lot of money. Here some older information on it. (http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/newsDetail.cfm?instance_id=117)

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Define "works" in the context of the original content of this post, if you please?

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

"Works" is relative I guess, for me, the drainage backs up into my basement when there is a flash flood. I am sure it is probably mixed with some sewage. If your only problem with it is the smell then it may work for you. Or if you have not smelled it then it I am sure it works. Others may want to be aware of this information though. If you get any more information from the city please share it.

There is a phenomenom in the third world know as flying toilets (http://www.villagevoice.com/books/0508,westcott,61281,10.html), I guess even that works for people in some places.

[greenbeats.livejournal.com]

I've noticed it all around the area, though yesterday my first thought was it smelled like rotting leaves. No matter what it is, I'm sure it's a product of all the rain we've had? That seems to make the most sense.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

I actually haven't noticed anything, but I used to live in Union, right next to the Waste Management plant, so it's hard for me to find anything worse than the smell of my street as I was walking home.

[elements.livejournal.com]

Since it seems from several comments that it's affecting JP Licks' business, if you don't get anywhere with 311 it might be worth putting JP Licks on the case too. They'd carry extra clout and have a reason to be proactive. Its sounds though that 311 may do the trick... and Rebekah is fantastic, and would know who to push if 311 isn't enough.