The digester in the Saugerties village sewer plant may be the source of smells that neighbors have been complaining about, Trustee Donald Hackett reported at a Village Board meeting Monday, November 7. “It hasn’t been working for some time.”
Criticism of smells from the sewer plant have increased recently, and Mayor Bill Murphy wanted to know if the removal would help alleviate the smell.
“We’re hoping; it was a pretty good odor,” Hackett responded.
“It was pretty ripe,” several trustees commented at the same time.
“When I was down there, I met Dave [Radovanovic], and everything was good, he’s a good guy,” said Hackett. Radovanovic is one of the neighbors of the plant who had complained about odors.
Murphy suggested putting a tarp over the pits to cut down on the odor that comes from them. “People were talking about encapsulating the whole plant; $53 million,” Hackett said.
A digester breaks down raw sewage, often using bacteria, to reduce the load on the plant operation. Hackett said the plant employees will go over it and determine what repairs are needed.
In the meantime, engineer Dennis Larios is developing an overall plan for dealing with maintenance needed at the plant. The Village Board has authorized up to $6.5 million in upgrades, but the funding source has not been determined. Hackett noted that unless grants for all or part of the expense can be found, the upgrade could be burdensome for villagers.
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