The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

CHESAPEAKE residents battling the ongoing noxious odours in their community are devastated by the sudden passing of a fellow resident who is believed to have died of a respiratory illness over the weekend.

While there is no evidence that the illness or the man’s death might be directly linked to a nearby sewage plant in Chesapeake, the residents believe it has been the cause of the foul odours in the area since 2001.

They are fearful for their own health and feel that prolonged exposure to airborne bacteria and toxic chemicals used to treat the waste is making them sick.

Michael Wilchcombe, a Chesapeake resident, died in hospital after being hospitalised on Sunday in the critical care unit due to breathing problems.

Mr Wilchcombe, who lives nearest the plant, had contracted pneumonia. He spoke with The Tribune last Friday before his death. And there are other residents in the area who are also reportedly experiencing health issues.

“This is a hard blow,” said Shuffel Hepburn, a resident of Chesapeake since 2000. “I received a call that my neighbour Michael Wilchcombe is again in hospital with breathing problems… and that he was in very bad shape.”

Mr Hepburn said that he has now moved out of his home in Chesapeake due to the ongoing health concerns in the area.

Last Friday, The Tribune contacted Mr Wilchcombe before his death when he had expressed concerns about the “very unpleasant odours.”

“I was not aware of the (sewage) plant being in the back there when I bought my property and built my building, or I wouldn’t have gotten it,” he said.

His property is about 200 to 250ft away from the sewage plant, which is operated by the Grand Bahama Utility Company. The facility handles all the raw sewage and wastewater from the hotels in the Lucaya strip, including the Grand Lucayan Resort and Memories Resort.

The Tribune attempted to contact Ezeikel Hall, operations manager at the sewage plant, however he did not return messages left for him.

Mr Wilchcombe had lived in Chesapeake since 2010.

“When the wind is (blowing) in my direction we get this sewage or septic tank smell in the area, and they want to say it is due to a pond in the back there,” he said on Friday. “Trust me, it is not a pond odour at all; if you ever smell when someone opens their septic tank - that is the odour we get, not a bilgy or stale water smell.”

“It is not everyday but when it happens, it is very unpleasant and lingers in the house for a day or maybe even days.”

Mr Wilchcombe said that he was a healthy person until recently.

“I recently had a bout with pneumonia. I cannot contribute it directly to that (the plant) because I know prior to me being diagnosed I had gotten wet in the rain two days back to back. But, however, it (the illness) has been lingering longer than it should have. Again, I can’t honestly say I can contribute it to that. Normally I have been a healthy person, and this is my first real bout with a long ailment.”

When he purchased the lot, he said he was never informed about the nearby sewage plant.

“I did not know it was 250ft from my back yard,” said Mr Wilchcombe. “I was not aware until I started to experience these odours and that’s when I became aware that this plant was so close to where I live.”

“My understanding is that it (the plant) should not have been put in this residential area.”

Residents of Chesapeake have been complaining about the continuing smell, which allegedly has also affected some residents as far as Pink Pearl Drive and the upscale gated community of Fortune Cay.

The Tribune visited the home of Chesapeake resident Jackie Smith last Friday sometime after 11am and there was an odour in the vicinity.

The elderly woman lives very near the plant, which can be seen from her backyard. She claims that she and her husband have been hospitalised too for breathing problems, since they moved in the area around 2006.

“The smell is terrible. I have to keep my windows shut. And there are some tiny black bugs coming from in the back that are attacking my eyes.”

Mrs Smith claimed that she too was never told about a sewage plant before purchasing the property and was only told that a shopping mall was being built.

“No one told me that they would be putting the plant here. At nights the odour is bad,” she said.

Meanwhile Mr Hepburn said that some residents are afraid to speak out publicly. He said that he finally has decided to move, but is unhappy about leaving his home.

“If I find someone to rent it, I have to tell them there is a sewage plant over there; and if someone comes to buy it I have to inform them as well. I have been here 16 years and the plant has been here 15 of those years. I would like for it to move. I like living here; we don’t have any crime and we don’t have neighbour issues and it is a nice place to live, other than the smell,” he said, adding that he was sick a few times last year.

An odour meter has been installed in the area. One is located just outside Mr Hepburn’s home.

Principal Michael Lowery of Lucaya International School, which is located in the Chesapeake Subdivision, said the odours have got worse in intensity and frequency this year.

When contacted, he said the odour is prevalent usually between 6.30am and 7.30am but starts to dissipate around 8am.

“I have been here four years I feel this year it is getting worse than it was last year. The intensity of the odour and frequency is more intense than last year.”