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Foul Smell Latest Issue for Dearborn Neighborhood

We’ve driven down Military over the Rouge River bridge many times in recent weeks, cruising past the combined sewer overflow basin construction and wondered what the heck is that foul smell?

Well, it turns out that the horrible odor is nothing to be concerned about, according to Dearborn city officials.

The Dearborn Press & Guide reports that the smell comes from gases trapped inside rocks believed to be a by-product of limestone deposits that exist underground. It is the drilling into the limestone by work crews that is releasing the colorless, toxic and flammable gas with an odor similar to rotten eggs.

For the homeowners whose yards back up to the massive construction project, the only thing they can be thankful for is that the smell is coming at winter time and not in the summer when windows are generally wide open.

Unfortunately, the smell isn’t the only thing residents near this CSO project have had to endure in recent months. Residents along Alexandrine, whose homes are adjacent to the site, have had to endure loud thumping noises from rock excavating crews. Residents are worried the vibration coming from the worksite is weakening the foundation of their homes.

One city official tells us that the city of Dearborn already has had to purchase one home at a premium price because of severe foundation damage from the rock excavating. Many other homes will need repairs for cracked plaster inside the homes.

The noise has gotten so bad that the city has had to find office space for a resident who works out of his home. Earlier this month, city council approved spending $1,100 to lease office space for two months at the West Village Plaza. The resident said he simply could not conduct work in his home with the noise.

The good news is that this CSO project, unlike many others around the city, is proceeding on schedule.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 12:45 am and is filed under Around Town. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • becki kain

    Is there a document on what this project is? What about the Rouge reroute project? is that done and wasn’t there going to be also a footpath from Dearborn to Detroit that follows it?

  • cloe

    Just two comments regarding the business that was being run out of the house. Why couldn’t they find him space at city hall and save the money , and, have they checked that he pays Dearborn business taxes like other businesses in Dearborn. Does someone out there know the answers? Let us know.

  • rami

    Too bad its not down the street, where the big fella smells it too.

  • RJR

    So the city has had to purchase a home because of excessive damage? Oh, my. This is going to get very expensive.

    I can see other homeowners lining up to do the same. I don’t see how anyone can prove whether damage to a home was from earlier or as a result of construction because no one went into these homes before construction began to baseline the condition of each home.

    Get that check book ready, Dearborn. Old repairs will now be blended with the new ones created by this construction mess.

  • Paul Mastrogiacomo

    Did the city offer any special accommodations for the people on Palmer or in the condos on the other side of the east Dearborn site? That whole Colson/Palmer area was a mess to get in and out of for a very long time. And didn’t the construction of that site also cause vibrations and thumping sounds? I can’t imagine the construction method was that different that it did not.

    This is definitely a slippery slope the city is treading. Like RJR said there are going to be people getting old repairs fixed on the city’s dime. And will the people in the Palmer/Colson area now be able to approach the city with claims of damage?

    What about future projects? If I have a home business and sewer or road repaving and I find the noise, dust, smells and inconvenience of coming and going to be too much (whatever that may be) will the city lease office space for me?

    I’d also like to see the evidence that the excavating caused such significant foundation damage to a home. It just seems suspicious to me.

    I just think this is a really bad idea to make all these accommodations.

  • pauly

    Give me a break! The people on Alexandrine are spoiled. Moving a home business to a rented office space because the noise is deafening – please! The people south of Michigan spent a whole summer of pounding when the infamous parking structures were going up. The pile driving was deafening for months – during the summer. The city needs to be careful who they are giving these “sweet” deals to!