The mayor of Antigonish says it’s disappointing the work planned for the sewage treatment plant has been delayed, as an odour emanates once again, from the lagoon.

A $5.4 million project approved by the Town in the spring to upgrade the plant with a front-end screening system and more aeration, hasn’t even started yet.

Sean Cameron tells our newsroom it took more time than expected.

“The design work is completed. The tenders have gone out. But I was hoping that this work would have been in final completion steps right now, but it just took a little longer,” says Cameron.

How long will it take to rid of the odour?

Although the smell is mild compared to last year, considering they got rid of all the gunk in the fall, Cameron says it will still take nearly a month to get rid of the odour.

“The smell kind of sticks with that body of water and until it gets the final treatment in the UV rays before it’s discharged into the harbour,” says Cameron.

In the meantime, he says, there are steps they can take to mitigate the stinky situation.

“There’s little balls they can put that float on the top that deflects some of the direct sunlight,” adds Cameron. “Don’t forget, it’s a 40-million-gallon open lagoon, so the sun really beats down on it. It’s like your swimming pool gets warmer as more sunlight hits it.”

Actions they are taking now include adding cherry deodorizer and adding cold water.

His message about the set back?

“Just bear with us,” says Cameron.

He says they have to get through these few little “hiccups” until hopefully this time next year.

“When all the front-end system is in and the aerators are fully operational and don’t have to be cleaned out all the time.”

Cameron says with the front-end screening system, monitoring temperature and predicting warm weather coming, they should be able to be proactive to prevent a smell in the future.