Spring Odour Expected to Continue During Revelstoke Wastewater Plant Upgrades

Lucas Tremblay

6/12/20262 min read

Residents in Revelstoke, B.C., say they are frustrated by a persistent sewage smell coming from the city’s wastewater treatment plant as upgrade work continues.

The odour has become worse during renovations at the facility, though some residents say the issue has existed for years.

Brian Marflee, who lives a few kilometres from the plant, described the smell as being similar to “an outhouse on a hot summer day.”

He said the odour is difficult for nearby residents to live with, especially for people who live or work close to the treatment plant.

“Some days, it’s unbearable,” Marflee said.

Residents Say Smell Disrupts Daily Life

Marflee said the smell has made it difficult for some people to work outside, spend time outdoors or keep windows open during warmer weather.

He described one recent night when his partner opened a bedroom window to cool the house before bed. Shortly afterward, a strong smell from the treatment plant spread through the area and into their home.

“The whole room just smelled like a toilet,” he said.

Marflee said he eventually fell asleep after closing the windows, but called the experience unpleasant and disruptive.

City Says One Treatment Pool Is Temporarily Closed

Revelstoke officials say they are aware the smell from the wastewater treatment plant is considerably worse than in past years.

Mayor Gary Sulz said the odour is connected to the temporary closure of one of the facility’s two treatment pools.

With only one pond operating, wastewater is spending longer than usual in the remaining pool before being released. That longer holding time is producing stronger odours.

Steve Black, the city’s director of engineering and public works, said warmer temperatures are also expected to increase odour from the single operating pool.

Sulz said there is no quick fix, but added that the city can see an endpoint to the issue.

Mitigation Measures Underway

In an April 30 project update, the city said staff have been using several strategies to reduce the smell until the closed treatment pool is reopened later this summer.

Those measures include increasing aeration in the pool, using enzymes and biological treatments to break down odour-causing compounds, applying an odour neutralizer and adding compounds meant to prevent hydrogen sulfide formation.

The city says odours are expected to drop significantly once the closed pond reopens later this summer.

A further substantial reduction is expected once the new treatment plant is fully operational in early 2027.

Mayor Asks Public Not to Target Staff

Sulz said city employees are working to reduce the smell as much as possible and should not be subjected to verbal or online abuse.

He noted that some city staff working on the project also live in the affected Southside area and return home to the same odour after their shifts.

For residents, the city says the spring smell may continue during the upgrade period, but longer-term relief is expected as the project moves forward.

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