Din From Sewage Work Raises Stink in S. Arlington

Life is anything but melodious in the South Arlington tree-lined neighborhood near Oakcrest, where residents say they are being driven nearly mad by the thunderous din of construction at the county's sewage treatment plant.

Three pile drivers have been operating there 12 hours a day for the past five months, the noise echoing up the canyons. The county has embarked on a $568 million project to rebuild and modernize the plant to reduce harmful discharges into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay and to bring it into compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. The improvements are vitally needed, state and county officials say.

But residents say Arlington County's effort to reduce water pollution is creating another nuisance: noise pollution. They say it's impossible to find peace in their gardens or enjoy the outdoors.

"It's relentless. It goes on all day," said Desda Moss, who lives on South Grant Street. "It makes it hard to enjoy the silence of your home. It's an intrusion on the quality of life here."

There is no refuge from the racket, which starts each morning at 7.

Retired Army Gen. Harry Kinnard, 92, a decorated veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and in Vietnam, lives a few blocks from the site. He is under hospice care at his home but can't take the naps that his doctors recommend because it's too noisy.

Gloria Bustamante, who stocks shelves at night at a Target store, has to catch her shut-eye during the day, but she says she has been unable to get a good eight hours' rest for months.

Granville Allison, 14 months, can't say much, but he seems upset, too. Listening as his parents point out the cracks in the plaster of their home that they say were caused by the sound vibrations, Granville placed his palm over his ear to indicate how he tries to shield himself from the noise. "Bang, bang," he said, wincing.

At a meeting Saturday at the Arlington County Water Pollution Control Plant, angry residents took their concerns to government officials. County officials said they are trying to find ways to reduce the noise, using new techniques to dampen the vibrations and reduce the sound, but they said it will be impossible to eliminate it. They said the pile drivers are needed to securely build the structure's foundations. Moreover, they told them, the noise is going to last at least two more years.

"Will it be perfect? No," said Larry Slattery, chief of Arlington's water pollution control bureau. "Will it be better? Yes."

The approximately 100 residents who attended the meeting did not appear to be satisfied with the county's response.

At the three-hour meeting, county officials tried to parry adversarial remarks from residents who said they are at their wit's end. Phil Loar, the plant's director of community relations, fielded queries about the extent of the problem, repeating each question and then answering it.

"The question is: Do we understand that noise can be used as a form of torture?" he repeated. "Yes, but that's not why we are doing it," he responded.

Residents demanded to know why no County Board members attended. "These are not the people who can solve the problem," one resident shouted about the plant officials.

Some residents said county officials are turning deaf ears to their complaints because they live in a less-affluent area.

"They don't care because it is South Arlington versus North Arlington," Terri McPalmer said. "It's a class issue. They think we don't pay as much taxes."

Board Chairman Paul Ferguson (D) said he has been to the neighborhood three times and agrees the noise is loud. "But the bottom line is, we have to get the work done. We are under a court order to do so," he said, adding that the county staff has been instructed to do all it can, including experimental measures, to mitigate the problem. Ferguson said he is planning a meeting next month in the neighborhood.

Board member Barbara A. Favola (D) said that she did not attend the residents' meeting because her family was celebrating her son's high school graduation and that she was unaware the problem was so bad in South Arlington.

"I will go to the staff for an immediate remedy," Favola said. "We are spending [much] money on this plant to get the best possible design. We're doing everything we can to make it as attractive as possible."

Even the area's rat population is apparently trying to flee the noise. Neighbors in surrounding areas are reporting an increase in the rodent population as rats move uphill from their disturbed habitats. County officials told residents they should try to battle the infestation by keeping their yards clean and free of rodent-sleeping spots.

Residents, meanwhile, are trying to cope. John Lechner has moved his bedroom into the basement to escape the pounding. The Allisons have put a white noise machine in Granville's room to help him nap in the afternoon.

Not much works, however. Louise Garris can't hear the gurgling of her front-yard water fountain over the pounding.

"We appreciate we need to protect the environment, but it's almost unbearable," she said.