What is that smell on Hawkins Street?

Migrane0

Every time I walk past that cross at the end of Hawkins Street on the Burgh Quey, there is this awful smell.

I have no idea what it is and I can't figure out where it comes from.

Does anyone out there have any clue about it?

Here's the place

admiralofthefleet

ive been getting the same awful stench for years now. i too cant work out whats causing it.
were the underground toilets there at one stage in the past?

Gaspode

Probably from the sewers.
Isn't that monument in the pic to someone overcome by fumes rescuing someone in the sewers near there?

January

It's the sewers... I used to work just there... and we couldn't even leave the door open on warm days the smell is that bad sometimes...

Victor

There is a sewer invert there and sometimes it vents.

I fell on the ice two years ago, band my head and can't smell things like this anymore :pac:

delta_bravo

The monument is to people that were killed by sewer gas. Most of the pipework in Dublin is over 200 year old. Might have the odd hole or two in them at this stage.

spider_pig

kinda like the smell at the beginning of Grafton street (trinity collage end) stinks as well

January

That's the Burger King apparently...

Betty Draper

delta_bravo wrote: »

The monument is to people that were killed by sewer gas. Most of the pipework in Dublin is over 200 year old. Might have the odd hole or two in them at this stage.

we actually checked out this monument on Sunday

floorpie

January wrote: »

That's the Burger King apparently...

Is this true? It smells like genuine proper vomit to me...but i could never work out why the smell always lingers at that same spot. It's probably the most revolting 5 feet in the city centre for me because of it, along with the lane around the corner at tower records.

The_B_Man

That smell at the bottom of Grafton St, across from Trinity, is from that god awful fancy soap shop!! I have to hold me breath every time I walk passed it! Vomitous!!

floorpie

I agree with you that Lush smells revolting from the street, but the smell i'm talking about is right outside Burger King at the Suffolk St end of Grafton St like January said, just where the newspaper stall is (i dunno how that guy can stand it). It *actually* smells like vomit

Victor

http://www.dublincity.ie/RoadsandTraffic/MajorTransportProjects/Documents/0813524%20Stand%20Alone%20NTS-%20part%201.pdf

The Liffey Siphon, part of the early 20th century sewerage system, passes under the Liffey at the location of the proposed development. The siphon will be retained in situ as part of the proposed development.

http://www.engineersireland.ie/media/engineersireland/community/whitepapers/Water,%20Drainage,%20People%20and%20Heritage.pdf

The main features of the Main Drainage system in the city centre were the interceptor sewers along the North and South Quays, taking the flow from the 54 Liffey outfalls, but omitting the Camac and Poddle rivers. From Eden Quay, opposite Marlborough Street, the North Quays interceptor crosses under the Liffey in a siphon three feet four inches (1m) in diameter, joining its South Quays counterpart on Burgh Quay. The North Strand sewer, coming in via Talbot Street and Marlborough Street, flows into the Eden Quay leg of the siphon.

At Hawkins Street, the combined flow from the riverside interceptors goes over a weir and into an eight feet (2.43m) diameter tunnel. This tunnel runs via Hawkins Street, Townsend Street, Hanover Street, Ringsend Road, Ringsend Park and Pigeonhouse Road to the Main Pumping Station, which operated for 79 years until 1985. Here, the sewage was screened and lifted 23 feet to a high-level eight feet diameter tunnel leading to the Outfall Works at the Pigeon House. The original steam pumping plant at Ringsend was replaced by electricity in 1923-24.

A drainage programme was prepared in 1912 for North Lotts, which had been partly drained in the late nineteenth century and contained East Road pumping station. Two additional pumping stations were planned, at Castleforbes Road and Mayor Street. Delayed by the events of 1913-1923, work on the North Lotts drainage programme resumed in 1927. Mayor Street pumping station diverted sewage that previously emptied into the Liffey at Commons Street back to Amiens Street and onwards to the Eden Quay siphon. Modifications to the original scheme included direct pumping from East Road to Ringsend through the new Liffey tunnel.

First considered in 1918, the Liffey tunnel rapidly became an urgent necessity. For several projects in the north-east of the city, services crossing through the tunnel conferred considerable engineering and economic advantages. Built between 1925 and 1928, the 831-foot tunnel carried electricity cables, a 24-inch watermain and the 15-inch diameter East Road-Ringsend rising main.

http://www.greaterdublindrainage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/GDSDS-Final-Strategy-Report-April-05.pdf

7.3 Other Strategic Sewerage Systems
7.3.1 City Centre / Docklands Sewerage F001
7.3.1.1 Description of Catchment

This highly urbanised catchment, which has a population of 152,000, straddles the Liffey River and extends 12km inland from the Docklands. Whilst the residential population is spread across the catchment, commercial activities are concentrated in central and eastern parts, with industrial areas at the Docklands. There are several large trade discharges - the largest being Guinness.

Some of the eastern parts of the catchment are low-lying - with large areas being below the MHWS tide level. These areas are particularly susceptible to flooding during storms and / or high tides.

Major elements of the drainage system include interceptor sewers from Parkgate Street to Eden Quay and Heuston Station to Burgh Quay, an inverted siphon between Eden Quay and Burgh Quay, and the trunk sewer from Burgh Quay to the MLPS at Ringsend. Other major sewers transfer flows from the west to Heuston Station, from central parts to the Quay sewers and from south of the Tolka River to Eden Quay. There are several pumping stations, particularly in the Docklands, with the largest at East Road. This pumps foul flows to the MLPS, with excess storm flows pumped to a culvert, for discharge to the River Liffey.

Ambp

floorpie wrote: »

Is this true? It smells like genuine proper vomit to me...but i could never work out why the smell always lingers at that same spot. It's probably the most revolting 5 feet in the city centre for me because of it, along with the lane around the corner at tower records.

The smell around the ATM beside Tower Records makes me gag every time I forget to walk on the other side of the street while passing, it's been that bad as long as I can remember (10+ years), how has nothing ever been done about it?!