Strong sewage odour in Antigonish repels residents, tourists

There's a big stink in Antigonish, N.S., and the town is promising to address the problem. But one business owner says the odour is driving away customers.

According to the town's website, the smell comes from a sewage lagoon. The sewage treatment plant is 50 years old.

"We're used to the whole town smelling like manure because there's a lot of farms nearby, and that is preferable," said Donovan Purcell, co-owner of The Curious Cat bookstore on Main Street.

Purcell says his bookstore, which is a bit more than a kilometre away from the sewage plant, lost thousands of dollars during the summer months when the smell was worse than usual. 

"It was noticeable how many fewer people were even walking up and down main streets during that time," said Purcell.

"It's a little embarrassing really because that's our tourist season. There were tourists coming in asking, 'Hey, does the town always smell like this? Is there a factory nearby? Why is it like this?'"

Plans to minimize the smell 

Sean Cameron, who was recently elected Antigonish mayor, said town council is committing $5 million to upgrade the plant.

The deadline to submit proposals to remove sludge from the lagoon and truck it to Guysborough County closed on Friday.

The town posted an update in the spring asking residents for their patience as the issue was being managed. "While the odour is unpleasant, it is not harmful," the post read.

But residents like Peter Norman were not convinced. "I'm getting headaches every day I work," said Norman.

Norman, who works at The Waffle Bus Stop restaurant, said the smell has prompted some residents to consider leaving.

"Something is going to need to be done because if it keeps up like this … if they don't do anything by next summer, people are going to be thinking about leaving," said Norman.

While the sludge removal will decrease the odour, residents like Norman are concerned the smell will come back like it has before.

"It just seems to be getting worse and worse every year."

An update about the sewage treatment plant was posted on the town's website last week. Plans include applying deodorizers daily. An aeration system is part of a longer-term solution.