What Is Causing That Smell?

A maintenance error at the Dubuque water treatment plant is to blame for the foul smell coming from the plant. At first, the smell was attributed to anaerobic digestion but, instead, it is the byproduct of shoddy routine maintenance. In November, the city brought in a private contractor to perform an annual inspection of the facility’s equipment that manages the biological and chemical balance of the anaerobic digestion system and helps it function properly. That inspection required the removal of the system’s electrical service and its subsequent reinstallation. But when the inspection was completed, the system stopped functioning properly.