The Norman Smell

[adaniel]

OK I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about, but if you drive along Highway 9 between Chataquah and Classen (strongest right around Jenkins) then you may have smelled the REEK that emits from city wastewater treatment plant. I hit it coming from church this morning and I think I've just about had it. I've lived here for 4 years, always south of Lindsey, and every spring and summer or anytime there's a south prevailing wind my place is always blasted with the smell of 110,000 people's poop. Sometimes it is so strong it is almost gagging and you can't even go outside. How embarrassing for the city and the university, especially considering that many people coming to OU from areas south of the the river and Texas often use Highway 9 and the first thing they encounter is the smell of a sewage plant. Does anyone know if they are ever going to fix this?

[Thunder]

lol... How to fix it? Eat something that doesn't produce foul smell.

[ddavidson8]

OK I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about, but if you drive along Highway 9 between Chataquah and Classen (strongest right around Jenkins) then you may have smelled the REEK that emits from city wastewater treatment plant. I hit it coming from church this morning and I think I've just about had it. I've lived here for 4 years, always south of Lindsey, and every spring and summer or anytime there's a south prevailing wind my place is always blasted with the smell of 110,000 people's poop. Sometimes it is so strong it is almost gagging and you can't even go outside. How embarrassing for the city and the university, especially considering that many people coming to OU from areas south of the the river and Texas often use Highway 9 and the first thing they encounter is the smell of a sewage plant. Does anyone know if they are ever going to fix this?

It's not a sewage plant, it's the Aggies that just moved in from Stillwater.

[Karried]

I don't know about any smell but I had to comment as I just spent a few weekends jetskiing at Lake Thunderbird... for the longest time, I listened to all the people calling it 'Dirty Bird' and had only driven through one time, I had no desire to visit.

We ended up joining some friends there on a whim and it was so much fun! I was amazed at how pretty the area was ( Little Sandy area). I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought is was a beautiful area. We've been back over and over and have had nothing but really good experiences. I really like the Norman area.

Does anyone know who the huge house with all the stone work fences on Choctaw (120?) and I think 89th is the cross street, going South to the lake) belongs to?

[BG918]

I believe the City is working to fix that problem by enclosing some parts of it. I agree though, sometimes it's pretty nasty. I wish they could move that thing.

[venture]

The City compost facility over there doesn't help either. It's all about leaving the windows rolled up, the A/C set to circulate the air.

[bluedogok]

I don't know about any smell but I had to comment as I just spent a few weekends jetskiing at Lake Thunderbird... for the longest time, I listened to all the people calling it 'Dirty Bird' and had only driven through one time, I had no desire to visit.

We ended up joining some friends there on a whim and it was so much fun! I was amazed at how pretty the area was ( Little Sandy area). I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought is was a beautiful area. We've been back over and over and have had nothing but really good experiences. I really like the Norman area.

It's pretty nice out there for being so close to the city, the "Dirtybird" name just came from the color of the water, not the area around it.

I had friends who lived in the apartments off Highway 9 in the mid-late 80's and it smelled back then when the wind was from the south. In the winter when the wind is usually from the north you never even notice it....but it can be pretty strong in the heat of the summer with the strong south wind.

[usmbubba]

It is BAD, this past summer, Norman hosted the 13U AAU Girls Basketball Tournament. My daughter's team was playing in it. On one fine afternoon, I parked at Lloyd Noble and as I got out of the car, I almost puked!!!!

Too bad that there were people from all over the U.S. that got that impression as well

[zrfdude]

Does anyone know who the huge house with all the stone work fences on Choctaw (120?) and I think 89th is the cross street, going South to the lake) belongs to?

Choctaw/120th is my back road to 1-40, and I would like to know what that compound is as well. Looks sorta cultish with the greenhouses and huge amount of land. I wonder what they have growing in there...

[Thunder]

Choctaw/120th is my back road to 1-40, and I would like to know what that compound is as well. Looks sorta cultish with the greenhouses and huge amount of land. I wonder what they have growing in there...

Funny-looking green leaf'ed plants.

[traxx]

Cheers to Rudy's though, for trying to cover up that smell with sweet smelling ribs.

[Slivermoon]

Best of luck on this one. I lived in Norman from 1969 to 1982 about a mile north of highway 9 (although the highway wasn't there until the 1970's).

I can't remember a year going by when that part of town didn't stink periodically. Wastewater treatment perhaps, and there used to be a landfill right next to the river which I believe was closed due to environmental issues and leaching into the South Canadian River and underground water supplies.

Still have family within sniffing range of the problem. Seems to be seasonal or perhaps related to weather, humidity, wind and, of course, a big-ole-heapin'-helpin' of excrement.

I do hope the problem is resolved.

[davido]

Anyone drive North from Robinson & Flood? At night only there is a weird heavy smell of moth balls. The first time I smelled it a train was parked on the tracks and i thought they must have a huge load of moth balls on board.

[MsProudSooner]

I used to think there was a water treatment plant or something like that causing the smell. But, when my daughters were in school, they were told that there is a wetland/swamp area near the river and that is what causes the smell.

[dismayed]

That is also what I have heard. In fact this is what NPR reported just last year. They said it had to do with a water inversion that brings algae to the surface every so often.

[venture]

norman, ok - Google Maps

Water Treatment Plant, plus the City's compost/yard waste facility, and then the marsh area down by the river. Triple wammy.