Noxious Odor - Update

The Noxious Odor News and Announcement article dated Wednesday, September 4, 2019 was intended to be disseminated to citizens on Saturday, August 31, 2019; however, during an update of the Town’s website, a glitch occurred in which delayed the notification to the constituents of Cheverly. Those technical issues have now been resolved.

The Town is aware and concerned about the odors residents experienced last Friday and Saturday. According to the Prince George’s County Fire Department, the noxious odor could be smelled in Laurel, the National Harbor, and Downtown Washington DC. The Cheverly elected officials and administration were notified of the noxious odor on Saturday morning, August 31st. Town officials immediately begin to contact and report the conditions to the Maryland Department of the Environment Emergency Pollutant hotline. 

The Town Administrator, Mr. Galloway, coordinated efforts with Washington Gas, WSSC, and PEPCO. Field representatives from the mentioned organizations inspected their own infrastructures on Saturday, August 31st to ensure they were not the source of the odor.  

The Town Administrator also collaborated with Prince George’s County Fire Department. The Hazardous Materials unit from the County Fire/EMS Department completed an investigation in which they deployed air sampling equipment. No hazardous gases were detected from this test. The hazardous materials unit also worked closely with the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department but were unable to determine the source of the odor.

Currently, the Town is in communication with Prince George’s County District 5 Council Member Jolen Ivey, Prince George’s County Health Department, and Region 3 Environmental Protection Agency Office to further research the source of the odor. Meetings are being scheduled with community partners, state agencies, and local entities to ensure the safety of our citizens. Once a cause of the odor has been determined, the public will be notified immediately. Thank you for your patience during our research phase. 

On behalf of the Mayor and Council, we would like to reiterate that the safety and wellbeing of the constituents of the Town of Cheverly is our number one priority. The Town welcomes your involvement in reporting these types of issues.  If you See, Hear, or Smell something—Say Something! Report it to tips@cheverly-md.gov. For media inquiries, please email the Town Administrator, Dylan Galloway at dgalloway@cheverly-md.gov.