What Is That Mysterious Smell Over Central New York?

What is that bad smell over parts of New Hartford and South Utica in Central New York? We may have an answer.

"Anyone know what that awful smell outside is?"

That is a common question you'll see online and hear during spring in South Utica and parts of New Hartford. As a former South Utica resident, and current New Hartford resident, I can confirm the smell comes back yearly around this time.

Chris Shahoud: "I was just wondering the same thing. It smells like sulfur up by the jr high"

So What Is The Smell Over Central New York?

Liquid manure. Yes, that's right.......Liquid manure.

Diane Kraeger Primarolo: "I smelled rotten eggs too on the arterial near Home Depot area!"

One Central New Yorker pointed out in the New Hartford Community Discussion Facebook group, that the smell comes from Collins Farm off of Route 8 in Sauquoit. The smell does happen multiple times a year, but for some reason it is always the strongest at spring time. The wind carries the smells into South Utica and parts of New Hartford.

Melissa Orr: "I’m in Yorkville and it smells like sewage over here."

What Is Liquid Manure?

Liquid manure is a mixture of animal urine and feces, sometimes diluted with water, used as a natural fertilizer and irrigation source in agriculture:

Liquid manure primarily consists of animal urine and feces, but can also include wash water or rainwater, resulting in a liquid consistency with a low solids content (typically less than 5%)."

So for now, you'll just have to deal with the smell if you're new to those areas. It'll last a few days in the spring, you might get a whiff in the summer at one point, and that's it.