When the City of Oak Harbor began moving 12 to 14 weeks’ worth of biosolids on a North Oak Harbor property last week, Scott Chezick, a resident on North East Oleary Street, walked outside expecting to find a corpse or a carcass.

Following a flood of questions, complaints and theories posted on Facebook before and during Labor Day weekend, the city of Oak Harbor published a press release on Tuesday explaining the smell originated from sewage sludge applied onto the 60-acre Municipal Shop off North East 16th Avenue.

Some years ago, the city stockpiled a large amount of — treated — sewage sludge at Freedom Park, according to Public Works Director Steve Schuller. The 75-acre park is located off Golf Club Road in Oak Harbor.

Schuller landed the job in 2022, after this fact, he said.

The initial plan was to apply this fertilizer onto the park after clearing the woods to make room for sports fields. Earlier this year, the city abandoned this idea to instead add a new trail system and disc golf courses. As the city prepares for this endeavor, the pile of biosolids has to be put to use somewhere else.

As a result, many residents have raised a stink about the intense and widespread stench, the lack of advance notice, the potential health risks posed by treated solid sewage and the timing of the work, with some calling for an apology from the city.

“If you’re an average citizen and you made something smell like that, you can get fined or sued,” Chezick said.

According to Communications Officer Magi Aguilar, Storm Water and Wastewater Compliance Inspector Kindle Sullivan personally notified the businesses in the area a week before the biosolids were trucked to the Municipal Shop. However, Aguilar wrote in a text, the city did not reach out to residents because there would have been too many to notify.

The biosolids originated from the Clean Water Facility, located at Windjammer Park. Schuller assured in an interview that the biosolids from the facility are tested every day and meet federal and state requirements.

The sludge at the center of the recent smelly controversy is classified as a Class A biosolid, Schuller said. The treatment processes that produce Class A biosolids eliminate pathogens like viruses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The focus isn’t on reducing smells, Schuller said, but on eliminating those pathogens.

In 2023, the Washington State Department of Ecology gave the facility an Outstanding Performance Award for having “a great record as one of the top municipal wastewater treatment plants in Washington based on effluent limits and overall environmental compliance,” the agency stated.

Although the EPA says biosolids can be beneficial to agricultural land and reclamation sites, many remain skeptical about this fertilizer. Schuller acknowledged these concerns, stating that scientific research reveals new information every day and that it is a learning process.

According to a recent New York Times story, research shows that biosolids can contain high concentrations of forever chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer, birth defects, developmental delays and potentially livestock mortality.

These concerns have led to lawsuits against biosolid providers and the EPA for regulating pathogens and heavy metals but not the forever chemicals known as PFAS, the article states.

In the meantime, the EPA continues to “research, restrict and remediate” PFAS in the biosolids, the agency’s website states. For more information and updates on these ongoing efforts, Google “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Biosolids.”

According to the EPA, “the presence of biosolids odors does not mean that the biosolids pose harm to human health and the environment.” The strong smell was likely caused by stacking many weeks’ worth of nitrogen-rich city poop in the same spot, Schuller said, assuring it won’t happen again.

While the city will continue to use and provide biosolids to farmers, golf courses and other property owners in a continued effort to make the best use out of this product, the city doesn’t plan to stockpile large amounts of biosolids.

The sludge will be distributed in smaller amounts. It won’t be odorless, but it won’t be as smelly either, Schuller said.

As of Thursday, city staff are plowing the ground to mix the fertilizer with the grass and the soil. Over time, according to the press release, the smell should go away.

Last week, feeling like she was “in a stockyard with manure up to (her) knees,” Judy Smith held her breath while quickly taking care of her plants and bird feeders before running back inside.

“It was nauseating,” said Smith, who lives on the same road as Chezick.

Susan Magana-Smith, who lives off Northeast 11th Avenue, thought the smell of human feces was coming from a sewer break in her neighborhood. Although she wore a mask and tended to her garden before it would get too warm and smelly, the stink gave her a headache and killed her appetite. That weekend, she said, she would have liked to sit outside and enjoy the weather.

The smell can also change in intensity, depending on temperature, direction of the wind and location, according to Schuller and anecdotal reports.

The stench peaked last Friday, according to Chezick. While attending the Oak Harbor Music Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, he could still recognize a fainter scent, as did another local concert goer, Aron Burnette. Other attendees couldn’t recall smelling anything unpleasant.

Monday, Magana-Smith’s husband wore a mask to change the oil in his car. Wednesday, Oak Harbor Public Schools Communications Officer Sarah Foy reported a “slight fertilizer smell” near Olympic View Elementary, but not strong enough to disrupt operations or bother students and staff.

Thursday evening, after a particularly warm day, one could detect a faint smell of biosolids by Highway 20 on the city’s north end.

According to the press release, after the work is done this week, the smell should go away.

Some residents criticized the city for spreading biosolids in the summer, right before a holiday weekend that brings locals and tourists to one of Whidbey’s most popular events.

Schuller explained that a lot of work happens in the summertime because the weather is drier and more favorable. It also happens to be the best time for outdoor activities and community events.

Furthermore, he said, people who live in cities and don’t spend a lot of time around farms may not be accustomed to the smell of fertilizer and manure, though some said it was far stronger and more repulsive than typical manure application.

Schuller welcomes residents and schools to call the city to schedule a visit of the Clean Water Facility and learn more about biosolids.