What's That Smell? Wastewater Plant Emits Constant Odor In Anne Arundel County: Report

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Wastewater treatment plant odors could take years to fix, leaving frustrated Annapolitans demanding quicker solutions at a Tuesday meeting at the Blue Heron Center in Quiet Waters Park, Capital Gazette reported.

Capital Gazette said residents of the Chesapeake Harbour community complained of a persistent stench coming from the neighboring 87-year-old Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility on Edgewood Road.

The facility, owned by Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis, plans to install a new odor control system. The plant's website said the project won't be done until late 2027 or early 2028, citing design phases and mandatory contract bidding processes.

"Three years is really almost totally unacceptable. I understand your restrictions on the design and the bidding process, getting materials, but that's three years of health impacts on this community, three years of economic impact on this community," Chesapeake Harbour resident Drew Davis said at the meeting with the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works, according to Capital Gazette.

Patch contacted the Department of Public Works for a comment, but the DPW hasn't yet responded. We will update this story if the agency replies.

To learn why the Clean Air Action Group is collecting odor data on the Smell MyCity application, read Capital Gazette's full story. Only subscribers of The Capital are able to access the article, however.

Anybody with an Anne Arundel County Public Library card number can read The Capital's story at this link by searching "Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility Odor."