There has been some discussion about a foul odour that seems to be affecting a number of homes in the Newcastle area.
The stench has been so bad at times that some in the neighbourhood can’t spend time in their yards. Residents have spoken to Town of Drumheller officials and have not had much luck in resolving the issue. We reached out to the Town of Drumheller and they have responded with potential causes and how they anticipate moving forward to determine a resolution.
The underground sewer system in Drumheller spans 81 kilometres. Lift stations and gravity force mains help push the wastewater down the pipes toward the water treatment plant
The Royal Tyrrell Museum pipes are under the Red Deer river and connect to the Nacmine lift station, then toward Newcastle. Newcastle then to Riverside, then Willow Estates to eventually get to the Town of Drumheller Water Treatment Plant. These systems work against gravity, and in seasons where higher volumes occur (tourism season) there is often odor that can protrude due to the excess sewage in the system.
Environmental factors, such as high outdoor temperatures and lack of wind can exacerbate the odor.
In the short term the Town will be deploying H2S sensors in key manholes to determine where the smell is originating, this will provide further details on which catchment areas are contributing to the potential production of H2S in our system. The Town has ordered and will be placing odour control covers in key manholes to help reduce the odour in the area. These new devices will take 6 to 8 weeks to arrive. Once the catchment area that is generating the odor is found, the town will likely add wastewater additives to mitigate the smell.
The Town’s anticipates that by Summer 2025 we will be in a better position to mitigate the odour being generated by the sanitary sewer collection system.
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