By Goya Dmytryshchak
While most people welcomed last week’s warmer spring weather, long-suffering Brooklyn residents reported renewed odours similar to “dead animal” smells.
The EPA’s pollution hotline received six odour complaints last Wednesday night and more reports Friday morning.
Brooklyn resident Lexi Christou, of the Brooklyn Pollution Action Group, said like many of her neighbours, she smelled the foul odour on Wednesday.
“There’s a distinct mix between either a livestock smell or a dead meaty animal smell,” she said.
“I got home at about 9.30 Wednesday night and it was really, really strong and when I went inside my husband said ‘It still stinks out there’,” she said. “He’d been home since 5 o’clock.
“We don’t go outside at all when it’s like that and if we do it’s away from the area. So, we don’t take the dogs to the dog park around the corner or anything like that because it’s just disgusting.
“You can’t be out there with that kind of smell.
“If you’re out there trying to have a barbecue in the evening with your family, it’s not possible.”
Fellow Brooklyn resident Chris Dunlevy also filed a report about the odour on Wednesday.
“There’s probably three or four particular smells you get and that particular one was the really foul livestock smell, like sheep or cattle being led to the slaughter,” he said.
“That particular one was really rancid.”
EPA western metropolitan regional manager Stephen Lansdell said officers were investigating multiple reports of a smell described as “similar to a dead animal”.
“EPA believes the odour may have continued for several days because of the warm, stable weather, and encourages residents to report suspected industrial odours promptly as we move into summer, to give investigators the best chance of tracing the source,” he said.
“With warmer days on the way, EPA is assessing weather forecasts each week and preparing for likely conditions that may trap odour or encourage dust in the Brooklyn area, with officers stationed in Brooklyn for immediate response on likely problem days.
“EPA currently has regulatory notices on several premises in Brooklyn, to address odour and other air pollution issues.”
The EPA’s 24 hour hotline is 1300 372 842.
