Sep 23, 2022, 2:15amUpdated 2h ago
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Residents in a Rockland County town have been dealing with a noxious smell for over a month.
Neighbors in Orangetown say they are not able to go outdoors because of an overpowering, disgusting smell that’s coming from the Rockland sewage plant since August.
Robert Romano has been living in the area for 30 years, less than a mile from the sewage plant. He says it’s never been this bad before and he feels like a prisoner in his own home.
“It smells so bad that you have to close your windows, and you have to turn up your attic fans, you have to go inside and put your AC on and light candles…incense,” Romano says.
He and some of his neighbors have banded together to complain to the plant and the town. At first, they were told the smell was because of a cleaning that was being done and that it would be fixed by September.
However, the smell has remained constant as October approaches.
Romano says not only has his AC bill gone up because he has to constantly keep it on to help diffuse the smell, but his quality of life is also suffering. Most importantly, he and his neighbors are concerned about a potential health risk
“We’re worried if there’s any particulates of polio…there’s a lot of unvaccinated people in the county. They’ve already had one break out and that’s all washing down to us over here,” Romano says.
A Rockland County spokesperson told News 12 that the sewer district is trying to address the odor at the plant, and they hope to have it resolved soon.