Point Washington's special welcome

POINT WASHINGTON — A salty breeze from the Gulf isn't the only aroma floating around town. 

A lift station near the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and North County Road 395 has been a source of debate for Point Washington residents who are upset about its odor and its impact on the community. 

Over the years, signs have been put up near the lift station to express their distaste for the foul smells. The most recent one — which has since been removed — read: "Welcome to Point Washington. Smell our Poop." 

While the sign might look official and voices some residents' opinions in a light-humored way, Louis Svehla, Walton County's public information manager, said it is illegal and will be taken down every time it's discovered. 

"Unfortunately, this is something that a member of the public keeps putting in that area, so the county has continued to respond to the removal of that sign," Svehla said. 

The fecal sign has evolved from a cardboard cutout to a legitimate-looking street sign over time, according to Svehla. 

He said the county isn't responsible for the lift station; it is under the control of Regional Utilities. 

"Lift stations, from time to time, emit odors kind of regardless of their situation, which is why that one was put in such a remote location," said Ryan Douglass, engineering manager for Regional Utilities. 

He said the lift station has been at the site for more than 20 years. He wasn't sure what type of filtration system it had, but knew that some form of one was in place. 

"Shooting it straight, we know what goes through a lift station, and we know it smells from time to time," said Douglass, who added that the station in Point Washington is one of the larger ones in the area and and handles most of the waste moving to the Point Washington Treatment Plant. "We don't ever want to appear that it's not something that's on our radar." 

However, the smell can be annoying to residents such as Jay McManus. 

"It's not uncommon for that lift station to vent off and create a very nauseous poo smell that covers that whole area," said McManus, who added that he thinks it is hilarious when the sign is posted. 

McManus said he spent 21 years in the Navy and worked with sanitary and plumbing systems. His suggestion was to either move the lift station or install a charcoal filtration system, a trick he said the Navy uses. 

"It's very unfortunate because that's the first thing you smell when you come into this historic district, whether you're going to the state park to enjoy the gardens, the historic Wesley House, or coming to enjoy the boat launch, our state forests, or some of the residential communities and neighborhoods," he said.