The residents of Virginia Beach, VA that live in the areas surrounding the HRSD Atlantic Treatment Plant are experiencing a significant quality-of-life issue due to the persistent odor nuisance emanating from the local wastewater treatment plant. This issue not only affects our daily lives, but also impacts the overall attractiveness and livability of our community. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), odors from wastewater treatment plants can contribute to localized air pollution and can cause health issues, such as headaches and respiratory problems. We urge the management of the wastewater treatment plant in Virginia Beach to implement effective odor-control solutions promptly. This is not just about comfort; it's about public health, environmental responsibility, and respect for our community's right to clean air.

Residents living in areas surrounding the HRSD Atlantic Treatment Plant in Virginia Beach, VA have been experiencing foul odors for many years originating from this plant, located at 645 Firefall Dr., Virginia Beach, VA. Due to the closure of the Chesapeake-Elizabeth Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2021, HRSD Atlantic has now taken on an even greater capacity, while the aging systems, equipment, and lack of modernized technology have struggled to keep up. A spike in the number of complaints has occurred since the closure, pertaining to both odor and noise, the latter from aging, failing, and/or overworked systems/equipment.

We, the undersigned, understand the importance and necessity of this facility. Having myself been a resident of a neighborhood adjacent to the plant since 2002, I can attest that the frequency, constancy, and potency of the odor has greatly increased over time and has become unbearable. Some may even contend that it makes these neighborhoods feel unlivable. Many years ago, the foul odor was limited to several times a year. Now, it has become nearly a daily occurrence. As of late, there have only been a few days each month without a foul odor. Nevertheless, development of nearby areas continues to ensue, increasing capacity further and placing current residents, service members stationed at Dam Neck Annex military installation, and unsuspecting potential homebuyers in an area blanketed by constant, unrelenting stench. This is socially irresponsible and unacceptable.

HRSD Atlantic has made claims on multiple occasions that measures are being taken and improvement can be expected. Promised timeframes have come and gone, but the smell has not. The two options at hand for nearby residents seem to be deal with it or move. Neither of these are fair, nor viable, solutions. Since the smell was less constant in years past, this insinuates that services/procedures have since been added, or modified, that are making it worse, and/or the facility itself requires major renovations. There has got to be a better way. We request that HRSD find it, with urgency.

The residents that have signed this petition would like HRSD’s Atlantic Treatment Plant to take immediate action. We would like this plant to closely examine their operating procedures and come up with workable solutions that significantly lessen the number of days residents within the plant’s vicinity are forced to breathe tainted air. Residents of these neighborhoods would like to enjoy spending time outdoors, accomplish yard work or home maintenance, walk pets, exercise, host social gatherings, allow children to play, open their windows for fresh air, enjoy their homes, yards, parks, etc., in short, live their lives, without constantly being subjected to foul-smelling air. Ocean Lakes residents pay homeowner association dues for parks, pools, and courts that we cannot utilize without being subjected to overwhelmingly strong odor. Additionally, biosolids have been spilling from trucks onto our neighborhood roads during the time of year they are transported to local farms. Enough is enough. We have become prisoners in our own homes. Even there, the smell permeates and has become so potent that, with the doors and windows closed, it seeps into our houses, at times being retained in fabrics.

Supposedly, this plant cannot be relocated due to permitting and the fact that it outputs liquid into the ocean. While creating the Reliability and Odor Control Improvement (ROCI) Task Force seems like a step in the right direction, we, the undersigned, believe that the near-constant smell has negatively impacted our quality of life and demand sweeping changes and immediate corrective action.