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'It's just a real health concern': West Louisville community shares odor concerns at town hall meeting

Donnie Morris lives near Chickasaw Park and said the odor is horrific.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — District 5 residents in Louisville's west end are fed up with the odor they have been smelling for several months.

"Oh my God the smell is terrible," said Shatia Smith. "It's really an injustice to the residents of the west end and it needs to be fixed ASAP."

She and others took their concerns to Councilwoman Donna Purvis' town hall.

"Smelling that smell, it's very uncomfortable and I'm sure we're not supposed to be ingesting any of those fumes," Smith said.

After several complaints, the District 5 representative brought the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and the Air Pollution Control District to answer constituents questions about what they're smelling.

"When we have drought periods it makes it even worse because we're not getting the flush or the flow in the system," Tony Parrott, the executive director at MSD, said.

Residents wrote down their questions, hoping for solutions to end the terrible odor.

Donnie Morris lives near Chickasaw Park and said the odor is horrific.

"It's a stagnant type of gasping odor, so I was very concerned where it was coming from," he said.

Morris has even filed a complaint with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and is waiting for them to answer.

"[It's] different at different times of the week; it's worse than others, so it's just a real health concern," Morris said.

Some even shared they're smelling a chemical-like odor. The Air Pollution Control District advised them to contact emergency services.

Director Rachael Hamilton said if the smell "makes your eyes water, it makes you cough, short of breath please dial 911."

Purvis is happy MSD and the Air Pollution Control District came out to answer her constituents' questions, saying they've been responsive.

"They realize it's a problem," she said.

She hoped this will provide some form of relief.

If you're smelling what you may think is a sewer smell, you can contact MSD at 540-6000 or the Air Pollution Control District through the Smell My City app.

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