RICHMOND – A Richmond community is dealing with a different kind of problem in this heat.
It’s a terrible odor caused by dozens of dead fish at the Mission Grove community pond.
Residents say the stench is an environmental health hazard, and it can be unbearable at times. They want the developer to take responsibility and fix the problem.
Stacy Shultz has lived in the community for six years and said the condition of the pond is unacceptable.
“It’s been gradually getting lower and lower,” Shultz said.
The man-made pond is full of dead fish and residents are disgusted by the smelly nuisance and unwelcomed vultures.
“I cannot even breathe out here,” she said. “The stench is unbelievable.”
“The smell is so bad, it’s actually seeping into my home,” another resident, Dr. Stella Anderson said. “Our guest have complained, and it’s just really sad that it’s happening in our neighborhood. I’ve been here since 2016, and I’ve never seen this before.”
Residents say the problem started two weeks ago when the community well was turned off, locked and no water was being pumped into pond.
Resident Bryan Everett even tried saving some of the fish on his kayak by providing oxygen and new water.
“It’s really like a horror show,” Everett said. “There are fish taking their last bit of life. These are fish trying to get their lips out of water.”
In an email sent to residents, the HOA Montage Community Services said that they were aware of the problem and the developer constructed a community well that holds water that may be deposited into the ponds. The developer is also asking the association to pay a monthly fee of $150 for the well which the board has been unable to substantiate.
Additionally, the Board says they’ve tried to negotiate with the developer, and they don’t have the ability to facilitate water into the pond.
“We saw that, and my husband was not really pleased about that,” Dr. Anderson said. “We thought it was pretty unfortunate especially since we pay so much for HOA dues. It’s just unacceptable.”
KPRC 2 reached out to the HOA and the developer for a response, but has not heard back.