For the past two months, residents who live near the city's sewage pond in the area of Walmart have been complaining to city officials directly and via social media about an increasing stench emanating from the pond.
Heavy rains and large temperature fluctuations are blamed for the sudden spike in the odor permeating the area.
The Kosciusko Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to invest in a potential solution.
The city will spend just over $190,000 on a lease-purchase agreement for 12 new aeration devices to be installed in the sewage pond. The agreement allows the city to get the devices installed quickly while extending payment for them over a longer period of time.
After consulting with MDEQ and speaking with other communities that have had similar problems in Wisconsin, Illinois and Crystal Springs — each of which has installed these newer aeration pumps — the city determined it is the only option that holds hope of getting the odor under control.
"This is a totally different kind of pump than we have now. These sit at the bottom and pump upward," explained Mayor Jimmy Cockroft before the vote. "All the experts feel this will cure it."
The company that makes these aerators will send one staffer to town to assist Kosciusko Water & Light personnel in installing them.
"For the first couple of days after we put them in, the stink will get worse, but after that, it should be much better," said Cockroft.
A bonus for the city is that communities using these newer devices report a 50-percent decline in electricity use and cost to run them. One community said they save enough each year to cover the cost of one aerator.
