Sewage deodorant use in Charlottetown growing expensive
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | 4:55 PM AT
CBC News
With no permanent fix for the stink at the Charlottetown sewage plant yet on the table, the cost of using special industrial deodorant to mask the smell is piling up.
City officials are being careful about when to use the expensive scents, which can be blackberry, vanilla or creamsicle.
Costs are high this week in particular as the deodorant is in heavy use to avoid offending revellers at Old Home Week at the nearby Charlottetown Driving Park and Civic Centre.
The spray costs about $120 a day.
"As a long-term solution, it's a fairly costly approach to deal with this," said Craig Walker, manager of the water and sewer utility.
"It's not our intention to keep doing this. It was more because of some of the local activities nearby here that are happening that we felt that we needed to put something in place in case it was a problem for them."
Wind direction is also taken into account when deciding whether to apply the deodorant.
Walker is still waiting for the city and province to approve funding for a better solution, such as ozone treatment for the ventilation system or covers for the sewage tanks.
