‘Misters’ make stench disappear

Astoria residents will not have to hold their noses much longer. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has installed “misters” to mask the smell from a sewage treatment plant on Berian Boulevard until repairs are completed next month on the plant’s boiler.
In November, the plant’s boiler was destroyed in a fire, and ever since then, the section of Astoria near Bowery Bay and the Con Edison plant has been quite odorous. The burnt boiler was used to heat up sludge, a potentially putrid task. Last month, the DEP attempted to move some sludge from the plant, which in turn emitted a foul odor and made the neighborhood’s air quality much worse than usual.
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, who said that he could even smell the waste as far south as LaGuardia Airport, sent a letter to the City’s Department of Environmental Protection complaining of the stench and asking the DEP to work as quickly as possible to resolve the problem.
“As a resident of the area, I personally observed the stench and can attest to its foulness and detrimental effect to the community,” Gianaris wrote.
The odor also caught the attention of Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. who held a meeting with DEP representatives and sent a letter to the commissioner.
“To put it simply, Astoria really stinks. It is a really foul smell that is coming from the plant,” Vallone said before the “misters” were installed.
Now, Vallone is breathing a small sigh of relief.