LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Recent rainfall helped eliminate an odor that many have been complaining about across Louisville.

Last month, MSD confirmed to WDRB News that the cause of the odor was sewer gas odor trapped in catch basins, which is caused by a lack of rain.

There are nearly 70,000 catch basins across Louisville where water enters and goes into the sewer system. 

After rainfall over the weekend, WDRB crews checked back in with MSD, and the company confirmed, "the rain has helped with the odor issues."

According to Sheryl Lauder, MSD's communication director, each complaint gets investigated.

"So, if you smell something ... say something!" she said.

Lauder said she does not have the numbers for October yet, but there were 329 complaints in September. She said 56 of those came on the same day, Sept. 28.

Recently, complaints have dropped to the single digits:

  • Five complaints on the 25th
  • One complaint  on the 26th
  • Two complaints on the 27th
  • Seven complaints on the 28th
  • Three complaints on the 29th
  • Five complaints on the 30th

Lauder said as of 11:45 a.m. on Halloween, there had only been one odor complaint. 

The best thing to do if you catch the smell is report it. There are three ways:

  • Call MSD at 502-540-6000
  • Report it online: Odor Control | MSD 
  • Report it through the "Smell MyCity" app

Lauder said reporting odors across the city will let MSD know where the catch basins are dry so that crews can add water and dissolve the smell. The agency is also working on a long-term solution for ridding the city of the smelly problem, and reports submitted now will help plan for the future.

Lauder said the combined sewer system was built to carry both sewer water and rain water. She said it works well with all things in moderation, but too much rain, too quickly, can cause a sewer overflow and with not enough rain, the sewer water takes longer to travel through the system. As the sewage travels, it ages. The odors can escape through openings in the system. The most common escape point is a storm drain or catch basin. 

MSD recently repaired or replaced broken catch basins in Park DuValle. The California neighborhood is next up for this work, which will begin early in 2023.

Next, Lauder said MSD will move to the Shawnee, Chickasaw and Taylor Berry neighborhoods. Each catch basin replacement is about $20,000. She said MSD is slated to receive $480,000 for this work through Congressman Yarmuth.

To learn more about odor control information from MSD, click here.

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