Part 2: Mount Dora Waste Water Treatment Plant E-mails

This e-mail exchange was between a community member and someone from the FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)

12/14/2020

8:18 am

On Mon, Dec 14, 2020 at 8:18 AM Boyles, Sean Sean.Boyles@floridadep.gov wrote:


Good morning,

 

I received the odor complaint that you provided on December 11, 2020. I live in the area and make it a point to drive-by the WWTF in the mornings when I need to go into the office. On that morning I drove around the 4 borders of the WWTF around 6:00am in the morning. No odors from the WWTF plant were noted. I also drive down Pond Rd, which is just to the east of the plant, and observed a very light sulfur odor. And I drove to the entrance of the Stoneybrook development and no odors were observed. That afternoon I received two odor complaints. I drove back to the WWTF and noted no odors and then drove to the landfill and observed the odor from the morning.

 

Just to give you an update, the WWTF has been working with an engineer to resolve any odor issues that might be coming from the WWTF. The odor observed at the landfill will be handled by an inspector from solid waste. As a note, Monterey Mushroom was also giving off an odor in the morning.

 

Please feel free to keep a log of the odors, time, possible wind direction, what the odor smelled like, and any other information that you can give. Send the list to me once a month so, I will put that into my log and forward it to the respective personnel. Please provide me with your address, I am using that information to help track all odor complaints.

 

I just want to assure you that we are working diligently to solve any and all odor complaints.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Thank you,


Sean Boyles




12/14/2020

9:16 am


Dear Mr. Boyles,


Each time I report it I personally drive up to the WWTF and the smell is most definitely there.  When the wind is coming from the north and Monterey Mushrooms is to the SE about 4 miles from my home, I do not believe that is the source.  We all know the mushroom smell and it is usually gone within 10-15 minutes.


I have personally driven up to the WWTF at 4:30 a.m. when the smell is so bad at my house that it wakes me up.  We are not making this up.  The WWTF smells horrible and we all drive by to confirm the smell.  The other night it was 9:00 p.m. and a couple days after it was 4:30 a.m.  It seems that by the time anyone gets around to investigating it is long after the odor is gone.  Why won't the city put some type of smell detector at the plant?  In February of 2021, we will have been dealing with horrible odors for two years and we are tired of it!  Anuvia is shut down and that was one of the biggest, but now another has come up in its place.


The horrible smell I am reporting is a sewage smell, the other morning I was walking around the house trying to find where one of the dogs had pooped.  The wind was coming from the north.  I know I personally investigate every time and it is definitely the water plant.  I am also reporting it on the FDEP website indicating temperature, humidity, wind direction, etc.


I do not understand why you do not believe us.  Maybe you should spend a week in our neighborhood and you will start believing us.


Sincerely,


Name redacted



12/14/2020

9:24 am


[Name of Complaining Resident Above]


I never said that I do not believe anybody, as I have observed the odor in the area before. I was also not blaming the odor on Monterey Mushroom. I was only stating my activities and observations for that day. I have an ongoing compliant [sic] that I keep open for the odors. I do drive-bys of the plant at least twice a week.

 

You may continue to report the odors to the DEP site. Could you please provide me your address so that when I get the complaints,  I can have a sense of direction of were [sic] they are coming from. [sic]

 

Thank you,


Sean Boyles



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