Contrary to what was reported on thompsoncitizen.net Dec. 3, there was no evacuation at New Town Square that afternoon, says safety and health officer Mike Langridge.
"There was no evacuation of the office complex known as New Town Square to my knowledge," wrote Langridge in an e-mail to the Thompson Citizen. "There was however a pervading, sour, sickening, rotten, offensive odor in the air there due to sewer flushing by the City of Thompson."
Langridge said he attended the scene at the request of one of the employers in the plaza. The city had flushed the sewage lines earlier in the week after complaints about an odour, but by Friday, the smell had returned and crept across the street, reaching Subway and Staples.
Along with fire department officials, Langridge took an air sampling test in an effort to ascertain the source of the odour.
"City crews had flushed the sewer from the New Town Square which had become +80% blocked," said Langridge. "In doing so, they stirred up sludge which is quite smelly. In doing so they also found that they had to push the sludge all the way to the Riverside Life Station in order to clear the smells."
Most businesses in New Town Square opted to close for the day, with some posting signs stating they would reopen as normal on Monday, Dec. 6.
Langridge says that during the exercise, even pedestrians walking along Riverside Drive were complaining about the smell.
