Residents on the eastern edge of Whitefish are crying foul over the rotten smell coming from the city's sewer plant during the past week.

The city is in the middle of a $3 million improvement project at the wastewater treatment plant, and there likely will be more foul-smelling air before all is said and done, Public Works Director John Wilson said.

A new clarifier for phosphorus removal is among the pieces of equipment being installed to replace undersized and worn-out facilities. To tie in the new clarifier, sewage lagoons that normally are 10 feet deep had to be lowered by four feet, Wilson said. As they're drained, sludge is exposed to air and starts to smell.

This particular segment of construction was prolonged because equipment parts were missing and the city had to leave the sludge exposed longer than anticipated, Wilson said.

Bob Dye, a resident on Shady River Lane, said the smell in his neighborhood has been so bad people have had to keep their windows closed. Creekwood Estates also has been on the receiving end of the odors.

"The city could have notified us," Dye said. "Everyone was checking their own" home for leaky sewer pipes.

The smell has been strong for about a week, he said.

Wilson said the lagoon levels will have to be lowered one or two more times, but the next rounds should be "fairly brief."

Two of three lagoons have been refilled, and the ponds should be full again in a week.

Wilson said the city typically notifies citizens of construction activities when inconveniences such as road closures or temporary loss of water service are anticipated.

"In this case we did not realize the exposed sludge along the edges of the lagoons would present a problem and so did not issue any notice," Wilson said Monday. "As you can imagine, we have talked with several of our neighbors today and I hope the word is spreading."

The project will continue until next spring, with a winter shutdown as needed. In addition to the clarifier, new headworks are being installed and that includes primary screens and a means to bypass the main pump station for periodic maintenance.

"It's a major construction project," Wilson said.

Normally there's enough of a breeze to carry the smell away from residential neighborhoods, but on still days the odors linger, he added.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at [email protected]