Odor From Raw Sewage Has Locals Nauseous

Share

By Sade Malloy

Summary

Taking action for you and putting the lid on a stinker of a problem. You called about a smelly sewage leak and Action News went straight to the health district to get the problem fixed.

Story Published: Oct 24, 2009 at 5:49 PM PST

YAKIMA -- Taking action for you and putting the lid on a stinker of a problem. You called about a smelly sewage leak and Action News went straight to the health district to get the problem fixed.

"Just nauseating, frustrating, nauseating I just feel unclean."

Denise Hale feels unclean because of the smell of raw sewage coming from a nearby trailer. Neighbors say the holding tank has been leaking for months.

"The real problem there is we have sewage on the ground and that people could be exposed to sewage itself," says Art McEwen, Yakima Health District.

The neighbors we talked to didn't want to go on camera but say the broken pipe is what's causing the odor and the ditch below it is now what's collecting the waste. Action News called the Yakima Health District to find out why nothing was being done. Turns out they've been working on this for a month and have been to the site three times.

"Talked with the owner asking him to do corrections obviously he didn't do it he didn't correct the problem," says Ranulfo Perez, Yakima Health District.

Perez says because the tenant was so uncooperative and claims the trailer is not his. So the health district contacted the property owner to get the problem fixed.

"He is now aware of the situation and taking action to evict the tenant," says McEwen.

"We told him what to do, he just doesn't want to do it," says Hale.

Hale says getting us and the health district involved was a last resort.