by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Terry Garza said the Surge building started to smell bad in April.
"It was funny," said Garza, who works in the building. "Nobody wanted to mention it because it smelled like sewer."
She said the smell eventually worsened and her co-workers started to complain.
"If you've ever been near an outhouse in the summer, it would give you an idea what it smells like," Garza said.
Some of the employees in the Surge Building, which is on North Campus and is home to several UNM medical programs, were sent to the University's employee health because they were experiencing headaches and were unable to work, Garza said.
UNM's Physical Plant Department - responsible for maintenance of all University facilities - was contacted soon after, she said.
Joel Straquadine, manager of Facilities Maintenance, said the building has a slight odor.
"It's being exaggerated," Straquadine said. "It's not a harmful gas, but it can be annoying."
About three weeks ago, the physical plant flushed bleach in the sewage piping in an attempt to eliminate the foul odor.
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Garza, administrative assistant of Family and Community Medicine, said the problem escalated.
"The bleach made people react," she said. "It irritated our eyes and throats."
Straquadine said Physical Plant has been working hard to find the problem.
"We will not give up," Straquadine said. "We are being extremely aggressive on this thing."
He said the plant recently conducted a test and found the odor is not hazardous to anyone's health. He also said Physical Plant circulated smoke through the piping to see if there were any leaks.
"Smoke testing tries to see if we can find a crack in the piping," Straquadine said.
He said the tests came up negative.
Andrea Crawford, administrative assistant in anesthesiology administration, said Physical Plant has been helpful, but it's time to fix the problem.
"Even though they are working hard, it's been five months," Crawford said. "I kind of want something done now."
Morgan Holden, a physician assistant student, said she only notices the odor when she is on the first floor of the building.
"When you walk in, a repugnant odor catches you off guard," Holden said. "I'm a little more worried about the patients in the building."
Straquadine said some people have told him the building has always had a slight odor.
"Possibly, the building has always had the smell," he said. "There may not be enough fresh air."
Linda Hastings, office supervisor of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, described the odor as the stench of horror and said she calls Physical Plant daily.
"They need to do something," Hastings said. "The physical plant is not doing anything about it."
Straquadine said he and a couple colleagues organized a discussion two weeks ago for people who were concerned about the odor. He also discussed the negative test results, but only three people attended the discussion.
He said there are a number of possible problems causing the odor and said it is going to take time.
"I wish I could wave my hand or someone can say this is a broken pipe, and I'd come in on my own time and fix it," Straquadine said. "It's just a nuisance that doesn't go away."
A possible problem might have to do with the acid waste sewer that lies beneath the building, he said. The acid waste sewer is used to store chemicals used in labs. He said negative pressure from the air conditioning system might be causing fumes from the tank to circulate through the building.
"Maybe we're drawing some fumes backward," Straquadine said. "Maybe that's where it is coming from."
He said the University has spent $7,000 to $8,000 researching the smell and is ready to pay another $10,000 to hire contractors to balance the airflow.
"It will hopefully solve the odor," Straquadine said.
He said if the problem is not solved through balancing the airflow, they would tear down the walls and examine the piping for possible leaks.
"We don't want to do that until we absolutely have to," Straquadine said. "If it was a serious health hazard, we'd be up there all night breaking walls."
