Warm weather creates stink in Summerside

Officials in Summersidebelieve they've found out why the infamous West End odour is back.

'This warm weather is causing the sea lettuce that was there to break down.' Coun. Brent Gallant

City staff thought they hadeliminated the smell emanating from a beach in the western part of the P.E.I. city after a new boardwalk was built a few years ago. The stink, which had been around for decades, was caused by rotting sea lettuce.

During construction of the boardwalk the old seaweed was covered with sand, shale and rock, but in September, some residents wrote to the local newpaper saying the smell was back.

Brent Gallant, the chair of economic development, told CBC News on Tuesday that it appears the warm, sunny weather in September is responsible for the stink.

"Part of the solution was always just to keep that beach cleaned off, rake and dispose of that buildup of seaweed and sea lettuce," said Gallant.

"We discontinue that in the early part of September as a rule, but with the unusually warm September that we've had, I think that some of this warm weather is causing the sea lettuce that was there to break down, and start to decay a lot faster than we would have normally expected it to do."

Gallant said city work crews are now back on the waterfront cleaning up the rotting sea lettuce. He said it's likely the city will have to permanently reschedule the cleanup to end in October, rather than in September.