Neighbors raise stink over stench in Bellport

Environmentalists say they've received dozens of complaints about a foul odor in Bellport. The odor has been compared to the smell of decaying fish. Some believe the smell is being blown from the Town

News 12 Staff

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May 2, 2015, 1:54 AM

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Updated 3,526 days ago

Environmentalists say they've received dozens of complaints about a foul odor in Bellport.

The odor has been compared to the smell of decaying fish. Some believe the smell is being blown from the Town of Brookhaven landfill.

Many of the complaints come from teachers at Frank P. Long Intermediate School. They say the smell is so bad that the school sometimes has to close air vents and windows, or even move kids into different classrooms. Some are worried about their health.

"There are kids, teachers getting headaches, dizziness, nausea," says teacher Sara Rauch. "The district is doing everything they can, what we find really is the town is doing nothing."

The Town of Brookhaven says it requested that a state Department of Environmental Conservation inspector test the air quality. No unusual smell was detected. "In four weeks of monitoring the area surrounding the school, the DEC has not found any odors emanating from the landfill," town officials say.

Environmentalists say they plan on meeting with the town in a couple weeks to discuss the issue.