A strong smell has been plaguing the nose passages of local residents for years on Mount Dora, east of US Expressway 441.
The mysterious smell that Dorayama Mayor James Homitch described as “more industrial than sewerage” has become a source of consistent annoying and confusion for the city’s people.
Now, Mount Dora and Lake County are $135,000 each, and officials have pitched for an odor assessment study.
A survey by consulting firm Halff and V&A Consulting Engineers address “odorant conditions and odor sources” near Sullivan Ranch, Stony Brook, and the intersection of US 441 and State Highway 46.
“Preliminary signs show that they are narrowing down the source and appearing to point in a certain direction, but the conclusion is premature,” Homitch said.
Over the years, multiple (accusers, particularly the mid-Florida material landfills of SR 46, as well as urban wastewater treatment plants along James P. Snell, have been suspected of wastewater treatment plants along US 441.
Dorayama City has taken measures to combat odor over the years, including installing a $500,000 carbon biofilter to its 2022 wastewater treatment plan and adding technology to its March 2023 sewage treatment plan.
Despite this, the smell persisted. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a consent order in November 2023 calling for city abuse mitigation efforts to strengthen cities.
As a result, according to an October 2024 update, a study was conducted written by consulting firm Kimley-Horn, which determined that odors “are very unlikely to come from wastewater and collection systems.”
Homich said Kimley-Horn’s report does not provide further information on where the sources are.
“That’s how I got caught up in this study in Lake County because a portion of Lake County is affected by it,” he said. “Sullivan Ranch is in Lake County, not Mount Dora, so they really took the lead trying to find the sauce, so they got on board with us.”
Homitch said understanding the source of the smell is of paramount importance to urban residents facing health concerns from the smell.
“Breathing, they’re asleep, they’re awake with a headache, that type of thing,” Homitch said, reciting the residents’ complaints. “It’s obviously something that needs to be addressed for their health and safety.”
At the start of the project, V&A will be joined by Sensory Evaluation Lab Company St. Croix Sensory Inc., bringing together an odor research team consisting of local Halff and city staff. The team will be trained in odor characterization, plume tracking and other techniques, including using a tool called the “Nasal Ranger.”
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The team tours advanced areas, forwards daily observations, sends reports to V&A for compilation, and collects data to analyze in summary reports at the end of the planning period.
V&A has the option to embed a Sullivan Ranch community or nearby staff member to join the team. Members of the V&A staff can accommodate RVs at Sullivan Ranch, and the city will provide RV locations and utilities for electricity, water and sewerage services during its stay.
HALFF’s allocated resources estimates for staff member Airbnb or RV rentals cost $9,000 or about $1,500 for six or six weeks.
If the source of the smell is determined, Homitch said he hopes there will be a “hard fight” to regulate what is producing it.
“As the final report is prepared, there will be additional fights,” he said. “Hopefully, when we get the (FDEP) data, they do the job of regulating and halting the people who are producing it.”
