File Photo by Eric Ayres Digester cleaning at the Water Pollution Control Plant in Center Wheeling has reportedly generated intense odors that have impacted neighborhoods beyond the south end of Center Wheeling where the sewage treatment plant is located.

WHEELING – Odors from the sewage treatment facility in Wheeling have intensified in recent weeks as removal of accumulated sludge in the plant’s digesters has reportedly stirred up aromas that are even more unpleasant than usual.

City leaders this past week addressed the issue, which promises to linger for the next few weeks as sludge removal continues at the Wheeling Water Pollution Control plant on Main Street in the south end of Center Wheeling.

The neighborhood surrounding the plant has been engulfed in nagging odors over the past two weeks, and depending on the wind, other parts of the city nearly a mile away have been experiencing an occasional waft of the freshly unearthed materials from the bottom of the sewage plant.

“I know that myself and other members of council have had questions regarding that,” Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis said this week.

“We’re aware of it,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can really do about it other than get the material out of there as quickly as we possibly can.”

Herron said the ongoing cleaning of the digesters at the plant have reached a point where the most pungent material is being removed.

“We have experienced some issues with the smell from the plant that has intensified,” Herron said. “That is because we’re down to the bottom of the digesters, and the material that is down there has been down there a long time. By cleaning it out, it is creating an odor that is more intense than what was previously there.”

The good news is that all of the sludge is actually being removed from the facility in order to repair the digesters.

“That material is being hauled out,” Herron said. “We’re probably three to four weeks away before that is done. So that has created some issues down there. But we’re at the bottom, and the material that is at the bottom of those digesters, as you can imagine, has been there a really long time and is really ripe.”

Herron noted that the sludge removal is a $500,000 to $600,000 effort, depending on the flow and the amount of material that ultimately is taken out of the digesters over the next few weeks.

“The repair of the digesters themselves — the valves, etc. — is about a $1.4 million project,” he said. “That is under contract, and it is underway.”

Full digesters have been a source of odor issues at the treatment plant for several years, officials noted. But a myriad of improvements at the facility are either underway or are planned for the near future.

The city issued 30-year bonds that will bring tens of millions of dollars worth of needed improvements to the city’s water and wastewater facilities throughout the city in the coming years. Around $43.85 million worth of improvement projects in the wastewater department are planned, with a huge chunk of that budget planned for upgrades at the treatment plant.

Herron said engineering for the long-term improvements is underway.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant was built in the 1950s, and despite nearly $45 million worth of improvements that have already been invested into the facility over the past 25 years or so, a lot of equipment there is in need of significant updates, officials have stressed.

The treatment plant in Wheeling also sustained significant damage during the floods that occurred in April of 2024. A major disaster declaration was issued for that weather event, opening the door for reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for costs associated with flood-related damage and repairs. Officials have estimated that about 30 percent of the repairs that need to be performed at the plant will likely be reimbursed through FEMA.

The city has been renting equipment on a regular basis since then, pending needed repairs and planned upgrades at the plant. Regular monthly expenditures for centrifuge rental, along with costs for screw press rental for dewatering of sludge have generated additional expenses.

Officials said they looked forward to moving past the equipment rentals to bring about long-term improvements at the facility.

Until then, the wheels of progress have raised somewhat of a stink in many of the neighborhoods surrounding the plant.

At times, the intense odor can waft into the Downtown and even across the Ohio River to infiltrate areas of Wheeling Island, according to Ward 2 Councilman Ben Seidler.

“Yes, we’ve heard quite a few concerns about it, and there are definitely times when the odor reaches the island, as well,” Seidler said. “It has been very noticeable lately and is something residents are talking about.

“From what I understand, the odor is tied to the current digester cleaning work at the plant. The city is aware of the issue and is working to get it under control as quickly as possible. At the same time, the city is investing millions of dollars into upgrades and improvements at the treatment plant to address these issues permanently and improve operations long term.”

Ward 3 Councilwoman Connie Cain, who represents the Center Wheeling and South Wheeling neighborhoods most impacted by the issue, urged residents to understand that the city is working to improve the situation.

“Over the recent weeks, several residents of South Wheeling have complained that the odor from the sewage treatment plant has gotten worse, and I would like to reassure everyone that it is nearing the end of the cleanup process,” she said. “So I ask for a little more patience while it is in the process.”