The following is a press release issued by the City of Fort Bragg:
Nearly one year ago, the City of Fort Bragg completed a major upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant facility to improve reliability and quality of effluent (treated water released into the ocean). The new treatment system has proved to be far more efficient in the removal of solids from the waste stream than expected. This translates into a much greater need for onsite storage of the bio-solids at the treatment facility. This is the source of the odor that many have experienced near the treatment plant facility located on the Coastal Trail.
The City began the search for equipment to reduce bio-solid volume in September of last year. In March, City staff identified a bio-solid dryer unit that would fit within the treatment facility footprint at a reasonable price and that came with a performance guarantee. The request for this unit’s purchase will come before the City Council for consideration at its May 10, 2021 meeting. It will take 21 weeks for delivery of the dryer after placing the order. In the meantime, the City started treating the bio-solids to reduce volume and combat odor. The first treatment was introduced two weeks ago and a second is anticipated to arrive today. Additionally, staff will limit transfer of bio-solids to the late evening to minimize the odor production impact on Coastal Trail users.
The City will provide regular updates as the project progresses.
Glad that measures are underway because the entire downtown area of Fort Bragg and its coastal trail often smell like literal crap these days and that is not good for anyone, especially residents that are affected by this!
I just moved to Todd’s Point and have smelled this odor since I moved in. Hoping they figure out how to alleviate this stink. It’s pretty awful.