By reporter Steven Smalley
Something has folks in Pleasant Valley, the area in the middle of Magnolia between the two hills, holding their collective noses ? enough to generate complaints to Magnolia Voice.
?A foul odor in the air,? with brisk winds blowing NNE, had a few neighbors saying, pew Sunday night about 9PM, according to a news tipper. He and neighbors suspected the stench came from the King County West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant just up wind. Incidentally, this is the same plant at which a man took a tumble,?allegedly with the aid of a few beers,?into the goo ten days ago, reported here on Magnolia Voice.
Checking in with the spokesperson for the plant found no reports of aromas out of the ordinary. ?(The engineers) did not find anything that would lead them to believe the system was not operating properly,? she stated. ?They did not find an odor issue or system issue that would have created odors.?
Now comes a published report about strong smells in other areas around metropolitan Seattle. Officials in those locations also held the sewage?treatment plant in their area blameless. After some head scratching it was noted an?extremely low tide was probably the culprit. Tide flats generate odiferous conditions when exposed to the air after water recedes for the first time in a while.
For their part, King County Wastewater?strongly suggests you call the Odor Control Hotline when a stink is detected and the plant is suspected. At first whiff, immediately call 206-263-3840.