{"id":137564,"date":"2025-09-06T17:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/137564\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T17:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:37:14","slug":"potential-solution-for-stinky-water-near-mount-trashmore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/137564\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential solution for stinky water near Mount Trashmore"},"content":{"rendered":"

VIRGINIA BEACH \u2014 Windsor Woods residents who have been dealing with an unpleasant smell<\/a> coming from the creek behind their houses may soon get some relief.<\/p>\n

Del. Michael Feggans, who represents the district, is working on a plan for environmental nonprofit organizations to fund the installation of an aerator in Thalia Creek. He hopes it will improve the water quality, which could alleviate the stench.<\/p>\n

An aerator increases oxygen levels in water, breaking down organic muck and reducing algae growth. He and resident John Kirby visited the end of the creek along the 500-block of Water Oak Road on Friday to discuss the potential solution.<\/p>\n

Mosquitos circled their legs, and as the breeze picked up, a sulfur-like smell emanated from the still, mucky, greenish-colored water between two rows of houses.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown here is where a lot of residents were complaining about the smell,\u201d said Feggans, as he stepped through the brush to stand along the water\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n

Kirby first noticed the odor from the creek behind his house several years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t even sit in your home some days,\u201d he said. \u201cIt burns your eyes, your throat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JohnJohn Kirby, a resident near the foul-smelling body of water near Mount Trashmore, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Billy Schuerman \/ The Virginian-Pilot)<\/p>\n

Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler alerted Feggans about the stink issue last month after residents contacted news media. Their concerns, along with lawmakers\u2019 outreach, initiated an investigation by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Feggans said.<\/p>\n

Initial tests indicate no foul play. Rather, Mother Nature\u2019s not-so-pretty side is showing.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo indications of a pollution incident were found,\u201d according to the DEQ incident report<\/a>. \u201cThe City took water samples and the results support the determination that the odor is not caused by a discreet incident, but is rather due to natural conditions indicative of a low-flow waterbody that receives storm water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The creek is an offshoot of Lake Windsor, which is fed mostly by storm water. The lake is adjacent to Mount Trashmore, a former landfill that was converted into a public park.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no leakage from Mount Trashmore, which was a concern of some residents, according to Feggans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean there wasn\u2019t a smell, and there weren\u2019t quality of life issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Feggans said there may be other areas of the city and the state where the management of creeks such as the one in Windsor Woods need more oversight by localities. He\u2019s considering sponsoring legislation during next year\u2019s General Assembly sessions that would address the issue, but for now he\u2019s focused on Water Oak Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to start off with trying to find some relief for these residents here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Del.Del. Michael Feggans, right, meets with John Kirby, a resident near the foul-smelling body of water near Mount Trashmore, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Billy Schuerman \/ The Virginian-Pilot)<\/p>\n

After doing some research and meeting with the city\u2019s Department of Public Works this week, Feggans said he suggested using an aerator to clean the water. He expects to secure funding within the next four months and plans to work with homeowners and the city on the installation. Feggans said he\u2019s still researching the potential cost, noting aerators can range from $500 to $5,000.<\/p>\n

Resident Sarah Gray said the stench has become stronger and more prevalent in recent years since the city began dredging the creek following Hurricane Matthew.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, it\u2019s just more and more extreme,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray hopes the aerator will help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it will work, I think it will be great,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com<\/p>\n

Originally Published: September 5, 2025 at 7:53 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VIRGINIA BEACH \u2014 Windsor Woods residents who have been dealing with an unpleasant smell coming from the creek…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[33839,192,97,2558,983,3,111,79,5148,12658,63006,9691],"class_list":{"0":"post-137564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-city-politics","9":"tag-environment","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-virginia","17":"tag-virginia-beach","18":"tag-virginia-news","19":"tag-virginia-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}