10/20/2020 Mount Dora City Council Meeting and The Smell

 



I attended the Mount Dora City Council meeting last night for the sole purpose of following up on the landfill and odor complaints we have when the wind is coming in from the North. One thing I noted right away is that simply bringing up the odor brought a lot of attention (in a good way) to allow the annexation of the landfill into Mount Dora.

  • The landfill isn't the end-all, be-all cause of the odor problems at Sullivan Ranch
  • It can reach a height of 205 feet and that would make it the highest elevation in the city when it reaches maximum capacity (it would be attractively landscaped and be tiered)
  • A landscaping buffer is planned between the landfill and Sullivan Ranch within the next year or so (no definite dates)
  • Several citizens and council members toured the landfill and only one noted an odor and that was in only one section
  • Our questions brought out other issues such as planning and zoning concerns
  • The facility would provide revenue to Mount Dora in the form of a portion of the "tipping fees"
  • The landfill owner wants to establish a Planned Unit Development as part of the annexation and it would be developed later
  • Currently, the landfill isn't posing any danger to underground water sources
The big surprise of the meeting (odor wise) was Crissy Stile bringing out the point that a good part of the odor is coming from the Mount Dora wastewater plant on 441. A city representative said that there had been only one complaint and that was last Friday. The cost to fix it would be around 3 million dollars.

I don't know how they log complaints, but I made one months ago and the person I spoke with explained how the odor could happen and why. He told me that the fix would cost 1 million dollars.  Crissy Stile also described a recent complaint from someone living at the back of Sullivan Ranch who heard the beeping of equipment backing up from "7 am until 5 pm" six days a week as well as one about the odor. I have personally been awakened in the early morning hours by the odor. 

I've heard that the people in Stoneybrook Hills pay a 25% surcharge for water from Mount Dora so I believe they have revenue sources to make the repair. Councilmember Crissy Stile described the odor and said to the effect that people should be able to enjoy their yards. 

Two members of the Smelly Group were there and a resident of Sullivan Ranch attended and made public comments. 

There will be more to come on the odor, regardless of its source, no worries. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recording Odors and More: Advice for Sullivan Ranch and Stoneybrook Hills Residents

I haven't written about the Mount Dora City Council meeting on December 15th yet for several reasons. You can listen to a recording of the meeting here.  Although I was there, I spent all of the meeting in the hallway as the room was too crowded during a pandemic, so I didn't hear much of what was going on.  Although fixing the smell is important to me, my health and my significant other's health is more important.  It was clear to me that there was no regard for Covid-19 when the decision was made to hold the meeting in the City Council Meeting Room instead of the much larger Community Room. I don't know the room measurements but I believe that it was unsafe to be in. (I have a contract tracing certificate from Johns Hopkins.) You can calculate the number of safe minutes using the square footage, ceiling height, and the number of people present here.   I don't know how big the room is but I assumed it was 1,000 square feet with 12-foot ceilings. I don't know ho
Read more

Locations of Odor Complaints 3-03-2020

Image
The Daily Sludge Report Zero Days Without A Smell Report Check back for updates as reports come in It's 2:07 am on a clear and beautiful night . I took the dog out for a late walk, and there it was, waiting for me like a cat stalks a lizard... The stink. This morning was another day of stink . My phone was blowing up and I hadn't even opened my laptop. There'll be a lot to unpack today so hold on.  This was sent to Anuvia FB. "Hello. I live in Tangerine. March 2, 2020, and many other days in the last two years, I have taken my dogs out for a walk. As soon as we go out the door, we are hit by the strong smell of fertilizer and human waste smell. We often have to go back inside and wait until the smell goes away. Most of the time it just sits there like a heavy cloud. I am a captive in my own home, and my dogs have to suffer. This smell makes my throat burn and I start coughing. With the threat of coronavirus COVID-19 that specifically attacks the lungs, an
Read more

Mount Dora's Wastewater Treatment Plant Smells.

Image
To: grusauskasj@cityofmountdora.com Letter 1 Dear Mr. Grusaukas,   I had to go to CVS in Mount Dora last night at 10:00 p.m.  I was traveling north on 441 and when I got to Stoneybrook Parkway there was a horrible sewage smell, even with the car windows up.  When I got to the top of the hill to the water plant the smell was enough to make you gag!  I continued to smell it all the way to Renningers.   45 minutes later when I was returning home and traveling south on 441 the stench was still there.  I cannot believe the poor residents of Stoneybrook are subjected to this.  What is wrong with the water plant?  I travel to Leesburg all the time and go right past their water plant and it never smells.  Mount Dora’s water plant is also an eyesore!  It is covered in black mold and looks disgusting!  Other towns have their water plants painted and they look neat and clean.   Mount Dora painted the stalls around the dumpsters in town to look nice, why are they allowing the water plant to be suc
Read more