FERNDALE, Mich. – Ferndale’s fire chief explained what caused a “rotten egg-type smell” in the city and where officials traced the foul odor.
Ferndale fire Chief Teresa Robinson spoke to Local 4 at a hazmat scene near Jarvis Street, which is south of 9 Mile Road in Ferndale.
She said the department received 911 calls around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, about a bad smell in the area.
When firefighters arrived to investigate, they immediately noticed a “rotten egg-type smell,” Robinson said. They weren’t sure were it was coming from, so they called Consumer Energy to make sure there wasn’t a gas leak.
Investigators eventually realized the smell was coming out of the sewer system. A hazmat team was called and pulled water samples.
“What caused the whole incident was a flushing upstream, some wastewater into the sewer system that kind of stirred everything up,” Robinson said. “Now that we’ve identified the source, we’re actually going to go over with our fire engines, do an additional flushing of the system, just to move everything forward to get rid of the smell.”
She said the company tested the substance and it was not hazardous to dump into the sewer system.
“It was just really wastewater from their processes, and that they dump into the sewer system,” Robinson said. “Sometimes that can just stir things up.”
The air quality and drinking water are both safe, and there is no cause for concern, according to authorities.
You can watch Robinson’s full interview below.
