Residents near the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant in Miami-Dade are facing worsening odors due to delays in sewage removal. Changes in state laws have imposed stricter disposal regulations on biosolids, forcing the county to find haulers to manage the excess waste that accumulates at the plant. The pungent smell, characterized by residents like Andrew Scruggs as akin to 'raw sewage,' has escalated, prompting concerns about quality of life for families living nearby. County officials are aware of these challenges, as indicated by Commissioner Raquel Regalado during a plant tour.
When the trucks don't arrive in time at a sewage plant near Cutler Bay, the smell from 350 tons of tarry black muck leftover from the daily processing of human waste can spread.
The pungent odors can be traced in part to changes in state law aimed at reducing fish kills tied to algae blooms that can happen when treated sewage remnants mix with rainwater.
Tougher disposal rules on the black muck known as "sludge" or "biosolids" have left Miami-Dade scrambling to find haulers willing to clear out the muddy material.
County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, wearing knee-high rain boots, noted during a recent tour that the smell of untreated waste 'will follow you home.'
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