Waco: Something stinks along the Brazos, residents say

The smell of raw sewage is in the air along the Brazos River in the area of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Herring Avenue in Waco, residents say.

"Sometimes it's just so bad you don't even want to come outside and sit and relax or do anything or even go to the backyard," says longtime resident Cedrick Hicks, who has dealt with the odor for more than month.

But others residents have been complaining about the rank smell for years.

Waco city officials said they've added a carbon filter to the nearby Carver Lift Station to cut down on the odor.

The station is vented to allow sewage gases to be released, but still something reeks.

Jonathon Echols with the Waco Water Department said he's unaware of any new issues and is guessing about where foul odor is coming from.

He suspects it could be coming from a sinkhole that's being fixed a few feet away on Herring Ave.

While work is done, contents of the sewer line is being rerouted to a pipe on top of the ground.

"We suspect if there is an odor problem it's coming from that recent area over there where we had some exposed sewage. So sewage flowing. That stirs it up and causes the odors. And like I said on certain days it might be worse than others, you know depending on the wind and weather, and that kind of thing."

Another possible culprit could be the banks of the Brazos River.

Officials said when the area experiences flooding, water and sewer lines overflow, sometimes ending up in the river.

The city says it could be about six months before the sinkhole is repaired and the sewer pipe put back underground.