That stench along I-90 caused by sewage overflow

A noxious odor filling the air south of the Addams Tollway, emanating from a reservoir west of Elmhurst Road, is due to an overflow of raw sewage into the drainage basin, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District officials said today.

Sewage seeped into the O'Hare CUP Reservoir along with stormwater after heavy rains more than a week ago, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Executive Director Richard Lanyon said.

Crews started cleaning up sediment last week from the bottom of the reservoir, but work was interrupted by more rain and it will take a few more days to complete the work, he said.

Meanwhile, residents of the nearby Oasis Mobile Home Park, downwind from the reservoir along Elmhurst Road, complain the stench has been unbearable for about a week.

"It's never been this bad," said Barbara Mueller, who has lived in the park since 1975. "Once in a while you'd have an odor. This is insane. We were trying to eat dinner the other night with the window open and it was nauseating. It smelled like fresh dog manure. You can't even open your doors."

The park in unincorporated Cook County is home to 600 mobile homes.

The reservoir holds 370 million gallons of water. It serves residents in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights and Des Plaines.

Lanyon said it's not unusual for sewage to get into the reservoir after a big rainstorm because it is designed to take the drainage overflows from the streets and combined sewer systems that carry both sewage and stormwater. He added there's not much area residents can do but wait.

"We are working as fast as we can to get it cleaned up," he said.