Buying near a sewage treatment plant

Hunter_Wellie

Hello everyone, I have been avidly reading this forum for the last 6 months while my husband and I have going through the house buying process.

We have now seen the perfect house but there is a waste water treatment plant within half a mile of the property.

I have googled the name/area and there is nothing at all on smells in the area (unlike some other areas).
We have asked the vendors if there are any problems, they have lived there two years, and they have said no. We have not met the neighbours but one has lived there over 50 years and the other for more than 5.

We have visited the property twice and there are no problems - we have also driven through the area three times and again, not noticed anything but obviously this has all been within the last month.

My husband loves this house and doesn't think there will be any problems.

I am a bit more cautious and think this will affect us if we ever want to sell the property. I also think there will be occasions where things go wrong and you will have a nasty smell but the house is ok so I'd be willing to put up with that if it only happened once every few years.

So would you buy so close to a sewage works?

specialboy

Only for the fact that you feel the need to ask advice on the subject suggests that you may find it hard finding a buyer when you come to move on. Of course the owner is going to say there's no problem, knock on some doors and ask a few neighbours.

tigsly

Which direction is your house from the sewage works- imagine wind in the uk generally goes north - east (i think)

So if the house is south/west - there will be less smells!

I'm planning to move near a sewage works - its about 2 miles away - probably 1 mile as the crow flies! But I know the local area well - and the smell does not travel that way - whereas even half a mile south is fine - but 1/2 a mile north - not on your nelly!

Hunter_Wellie

tigsly wrote: »

Which direction is your house from the sewage works- imagine wind in the uk generally goes north - east (i think)

So if the house is south/west - there will be less smells!

I'm planning to move near a sewage works - its about 2 miles away - probably 1 mile as the crow flies! But I know the local area well - and the smell does not travel that way - whereas even half a mile south is fine - but 1/2 a mile north - not on your nelly!

It almost exactly due east tigsly.

Davesnave

Half a mile is a huge distance from a treatment works!

Some of the most expensive homes where I used to live were much closer than that.

Treatment works vary in size. Most villages have them, and very often there are houses close by, but even the large ones such as I mentioned above, don't often create a public nuisance.

Besides the human nose is very adaptable. I wonder how many people moving to the countryside for 'fresh air,' fail to factor in the silage and dung spreading seasons! The truth is, once it's 'all around you,' as the song goes, it becomes largely unnoticed. Same for the vents on septic tanks.

Katem

There probably aren't that many houses in the UK which aren't fairly close to a sewage treatment works tbh. They're fairly discreet, some are even underground. I live within a mile of one.

However…… on an overcast day the low lying cloud "traps" the smell and stops it dissipating. Wind isn't the problem you'd imagine it is, wind carries the smell elsewhere, whereas low lying cloud on a still day keeps it in the area.

Having said all that, most STWs/water companies have measures in place to try and negate the smell wherever possible, some even have perfume sprayed into the air and there probably won't be a constant smell. Certainly where I live the smell very rarely bothers us unless it is a particularly overcast day.

Try calling the local water company to ask about their preventative measures for smell? If the water company is on the ball the STW will be very efficient and well run so any chance of smell will be lessened. Visit the house in different weathers, to see if the smell is more prevalent.

cte1111

Even if it did smell, you would get used to it very quickly and not notice it. I worked for a water company for a while and had to visit a number of waste treatment plants. I didn't find the smell offensive after a while, I could tune it out.

I also think that half a mile is a fair distance, although may well still be in the path of smells depending on winds. In the countryside you would have all sorts of manure smells, my friend lived next door to a pig farm and they were quite pungent but again we got used to the smell when we visited.

gordonbennet

Definitely go back a few more times and see what it's like in other conditions. And yes - speak to more neighbours.

If it does get a bit wiffy you may get used to it, but it's not very nice for your visitors.

I once lived about 1/4 of a mile from a treatment plant. Sometimes there was no smell, others it was very noticeable. I swear i got more colds and sore throats living at that house, but that may have been unconnected...

funkin

We've lived about 100m west of a huge 'water treatment' plant in west london for 16 years. We notice the smell at home maybe 5 or 6 times a year, on still days and sometimes if the wind is blowing from the east. Before we bought I suspected it wouldn't be a problem because of the predominant wind direction and it turned out true.

The smell has never been an issue to us.

Now... We do get Mosquitos in the summer and that is one thing that Thames water write to us about in residents newsletters a couple of times a year. During the summer months we have a couple of plug-in mosquito killer things like you take on holiday with refills that last a month. We have them on auto timer switches and it's never a problem.

We've no issue with living near the treatment works. If the house is right and you live west or south-west of it then go for it. I'd think twice if I was going to buy north or east of the works' that's for sure.

Callie22

I used to live not far (less than a mile, as the crow flies) from a sewage treatment works and the smell could be pretty awful. Most summer evenings you couldn't sit outside, and sometimes the smell overnight could be horrific. I googled it and apparently it's something to do with when they take the 'crust' off the top of the tanks - it really was an awful smell, a kind of wet, gassy, metallic stench that would fill the house. However there is a known issue with this particular works and I'd imagine it's not the same everywhere.

tigsly

callie - where were you??