Halifax Residents Work to Solve Smelly, Dangerous Sewer Problem

The odor in Glora Hendricks' house is incredible.

"It's hard to explain the smell and the odor and everything, but it's just a terrible smell," she says. "No one should be in a place like this with the odor."

Her home is one of 27 on Radar Circle in Halifax County that are hooked up to an old, run-down sewage system. Backed-up toilets are common.

"It's disgusting," says neighbor Sandra Price. "That's what it's like having to have to go in and get Clorox and hot water to flush a commode."

The private owner who used to maintain the system is in bad health, so neighbors have paid $70 a month on their own, just for sewer service.

Also, each family paid $375 to hook up to county lines two years ago. Today, they are still not hooked up.

Construction should begin as soon as next month on the new sewage connection to Halifax County. If the weather works out, the system may be up and running as soon as February.

But owners wonder why it took the county so long to work things out.

"When we paid this money, when each house paid this money, we thought that's the money to start construction, but it didn't happen," says resident Martin Daniels.

The county says it took time to find a contractor who would do the job for the right price. Neighbors are cautiously optimistic, but keeping their fingers crossed.