Work to replace a sewage plant at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute is under way and area residents are looking forward to breathing fresh air this autumn.

Neighbours of the Devonshire facility have complained for several years about a “terrible smell” coming from the plant, which was often worse during the summer because of the heat.

A Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) spokeswoman said: “BHB is pleased to note that the project is currently running to plan.”

She said a new sewage tank was delivered to the site last week and “the goal is to start running sewage through the new plant later this month”.

“We thank our neighbours for their continued patience as we complete this work,” she added.

Brendan Lambert, who lives about 100 metres from the existing sewage treatment plant on Devon Spring Road, said: “I feel that after it’s all done, everybody and myself will be comfortable with the surroundings.”

Mr Lambert previously told The Royal Gazette that the strong odour coming from the plant forced his family to keep their windows closed and the air conditioning running “just to keep the air fresh”.

But he said yesterday that the smell has not been “as bad as other years”, “because they’ve gone in and dealt with the problem”.

After area residents voiced their concerns in July, the BHB spokeswoman said chemical treatments to address the smell would be increased and that the problem would be addressed until the new plant is operational.

“I’m guessing that helped a lot,” Mr Lambert said, adding that he had not heard any of his other neighbours complain about the smell.

Floyd Blankendal, who has lived in the area since 2010, also remarked that the smell had “dropped drastically”.

Mr Blankendal had previously described the odour as a “terrible smell throughout the day” that would get worse during the summer.

He said he is definitely looking forward to it no longer being a problem and that it “should be a thing of the past” once the work on the new plant is complete.

“Those windows will fly open without thinking about it,” he added.

Another area resident, who asked not to be named, agreed that the smell “hasn’t been that bad this summer”.

He said the “strong sewage smell” had been a problem ever since he moved to the area five-and-a-half years ago.

“You’ll be able to have your windows open more,” he added.

BHB announced that the contract for the new sewage plant had been awarded to Bermudian company BESCO in November last year.

A statement at the time said that the new unit, “a submerged high performance aerated filter sewage treatment plant, has a filtered vent to eliminate any minor odour emissions.

“The new plant will utilise a proven technology in Bermuda and will produce a clean effluent, which poses no threat to the environment.”