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Families on Merrill Avenue report burning eyes and headaches from a pungent smell that has intensified.(Advance\/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)DEP investigating cause<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 For months, a noxious, sewer\u2011like odor has been invading homes along Merrill Avenue in Bulls Head, forcing families to flee and turning everyday routines into a gauntlet of headaches, burning eyes and nausea, residents say.<\/p>\n
Deborah Phelps\u2011Seda is among those most affected \u2014 and this week, she brought her concerns to Community Board 2 and the Advance\/SILive.com, describing how the stench surges without warning. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne minute it\u2019s manageable and the next minute it\u2019s overwhelming,\u201d the lifelong Merrill Avenue resident told the Advance\/SILive.com. \u201cIt burns our eyes, gives us headaches and makes us feel nauseous. It affects our ability to feel safe and comfortable inside and outside our house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother of two says the odor \u2014 seeping in through her kitchen drains and sewer trap \u2014 has been unrelenting since it first struck her home on Dec. 1.<\/p>\n
The concerning odor is particularly intense near the manholes in the road, in between Graham Avenue and Arlene Street, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a mother, my number one job is to protect my kids. I should not have to wonder whether the air inside and outside our home is harming them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Another resident shared that for those living closer to Graham Avenue, the smell started as early as November.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt smells like gas and sometimes rotten eggs and sometimes musty. It\u2019s just disgusting. It\u2019s absolutely disgusting,\u201d the resident shared. \u201cI could clean with bleach and it\u2019s still there. One day I was showering and I felt like I was showering in the sewer.\u201d<\/p>\n
To combat the issue, Phelps-Seda and her neighbors reached out to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Councilmember David Carr\u2019s office. DEP workers began to investigate the block. <\/p>\n
According to multiple residents, the crews were seen flushing the sewers and treating the lines. <\/p>\n
Families on Merrill Avenue report burning eyes and headaches from a pungent smell that has intensified.(Advance\/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)DEP investigating cause<\/p>\n
In a statement to the Advance\/SILive.com, a DEP spokesperson said:<\/p>\n
\u201cDEP is working closely with the community and is aware of this issue. Crews inspected and cleaned the sewers at Merrill and Graham Avenues and found all infrastructure to be operating as intended. We have also installed filtration devices in nearby sewer manholes to help reduce odors. DEP is currently monitoring the situation through wastewater and air sampling, and our investigation into the cause remains ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carr\u2019s office has also been in continuous contact with the department, relaying concerns from residents, said the minority leader, who represents the Mid-Island and part of Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely understand the frustration residents must be feeling,\u201d he shared. \u201cI want everyone to know that this is still be investigated, and we are asking DEP to address this situation as expeditiously as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite those efforts, Phelps-Seda said she has seen no improvements or clear answers. In fact, following some of the cleanings, the odor has become more intense.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterward, it\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d said one of Phelps-Seda\u2019s neighbors. \u201cIt\u2019s like they dug something up in there, and then it\u2019s like we\u2019re back at square one again, over here.\u201d <\/p>\n
The odor has forced the residents of Merrill Avenue to evacuate their homes at various times and find last-minute hotels, they said.<\/p>\n
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Families on Merrill Avenue report burning eyes and headaches from a pungent smell that has intensified.(Advance\/SILive.com|Nicolette Cavallaro)<\/p>\n
\u201cMe and my neighbor upstairs have had to evacuate our houses numerous times. I personally evacuated five times and I have two young boys,\u201d Phelps-Seda said. \u201cSo when it gets really bad, I leave because I don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to affect them.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of her children, who has asthma, especially struggles with the unknown sewage smell, she said.<\/p>\n
An upstairs neighbor shared that the odor has impacted her teenage daughter\u2019s ability to attend and perform well in school, due to the inability to stay in their home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still don\u2019t have clear answers, and more importantly, we don\u2019t have a solution. If I am forced to evacuate again, what resources are available to my family and my neighbors?\u201d Phelps-Seda asked at a Community Board 2 meeting on Tuesday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield. \u201cAre we expected to continue leaving our homes without help, and is this sewer gas odor safe for us to be breathing in for this long? We deserve transparency, we deserve urgency and we deserve to feel safe in our homes.\u201d <\/p>\n