Something stinks at Corner Brook's new hospital

For months a foul odour has lingered near both the main and emergency entrances of Corner Brook's new Western Memorial Regional Hospital, but a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services representative says they're working to get to the source of the smell.

Shelby Pyke, an acting senior director in the health authority's Western zone, says water testing has identified the presence of sulfur-reducing bacteria within the storm catch basins near the entrances. She says the cause of the eggy smell is likely groundwater seeping into the storm drain system and not from sewage.

"We certainly recognize that it is unpleasant. We do want to assure the public that there is no risk to public safety, but we do sincerely apologize to our patients, visitors, staff, whoever has kind of encountered this smell on their visit," she told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

She says the hospital has known about the foul smell for a few months, and "obviously there's quite a few different parties involved in the planning. We're happy to say that we've now identified both the source and the solution of the problem."

Work ahead

Pyke says they're working with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, building maintenance and an environmental consultant to fix the problem, including flushing and cleaning the storm drain system.

"We're now co-ordinating a mechanical solution to kind of see all the problem areas and address the root cause so that we don't end up in this situation again in the future," said Pyke.

The new hospital opened in June 2024, and CBC News reported in February it was already overflowing, and two floors of the old hospital were going to be renovated to hold 45 more patients.

Pyke says the bacteria was able to enter the storm drain system due to problems with the pipes.

"From what I know, without getting into too much detail, there are I guess some deficiencies with the connections of the pipes," she said.

"So we have identified a mechanical solution that is going to kind of seal those problem areas and prevent that from happening in the future."

Pyke doesn't know what fixing the problem might cost at the moment, however NL Health Services doesn't anticipate having to pay those costs themselves due to the project agreement for hospital construction and operations.

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