The smell at night is not a skunk. It occurs with almost daily regularity and it occurs across the city. It is not an army of scared skunks. Remember the smell is skunk-like, but not actually the smell of skunk spray.

There is a nasty odor in the Windsor area almost every morning........smells like burning rubber with a garlic tinge to it.
We are thinking it's either farm operations or a local dump that is burning something or treating garbage at the site.
I have noticed the same smell mornings in the Manchester area.

Maybe the DEEP should look into this-could be a state-wide issue.

Yes, I know what you mean, and no one else I have talked to seems to notice it - they think I'm crazy. I think people get used to it, and stop noticing it. I live in FH Heights. My guess was it was coming from that landfill or one of those industrial companies off 91 near Middletown Ave/exit 8, but not sure. The only other time I smelled something similar was when a biodiesel bus passed me, so perhaps it's biodiesel manufacturing/extraction? Anyone else have any theories or intel? I worry about its safety, breathing it in.

I think it is an oily smell, and have always suspected that that "evening odor of New Haven" was a waft from the oil terminal in the harbor.

I have smelled this also - always at "off" times, such as the evening and weekends. It can be really strong driving up 91N towards North Haven, and then I have smelled it in Fair Haven and Wooster Square. It seems to have begun a few years ago and reminds me a bit of nail polish. I always thought it was some kind of illegal (or it should be) dumping into the water system. It was once so strong in Fair Haven near the Q River a couple years ago that it made me nauseous. I called the DEP, but the smell continues.

I have been smelling that every night, around 9, in Whitneyville in Hamden. When I'm reading to my daughter, it wafts in her bedroom window. I thought we had a serious backyard skunk problem.

Agreed. I smell this nearly every night in East Rock. When I first moved here, I thought it was a skunk near my apartment. I have lived in two different apartments since then (both in East Rock) and still smell it. I smell it when I am walking or driving around the neighborhood as well, so I am quite sure it isn't actually a pack of busy skunks!

Concentrated skunk smell is like a rubber smell as someone posted above. It only smells slinky when it dissipates. Living in Fair Haven on the Q I can tell you that I too have smelled an industrial type odor in the evening. I have noticed this odor near the intersection of East and Water Streets.

Hi all,

I am the city reporter at the New Haven Register and I am looking into the source of this smell. If you could email me or call me with a little more detail like cross streets (East and Water Streets, or where ever you have smelled it) and what time, that would be helpful. I am also looking to hear some first hand accounts of how "noxious" this smell actually is. Are you guys concerned about air quality? Do you have to shut your windows to escape it? Please let me know via email at asanders@nhregister.com or call me at 203-789-5714. I will be in the office until 6 p.m. Thank you!

Also, I checked with the DEEP and they said they have not gotten any complaints. I've heard a number of theories on where it could be coming from but nothing concrete yet.

Looking forward to speaking with you guys soon.

Best,
Alexandra Sanders

I used to get clouds of choking, noxious smoke (mostly in winter time) from ships delivering fuel/heating oil to the Port of New Haven. Ironically, the ships don't burn refined oil, but, rather, they burn waste oil, which is full of really toxic solvents, heavy metals, sulfur, etc.
There is someone in the vicinity (Orange St. / Linden / Cottage?) who seems to love to burn wood, so, our windows remain closed year round, with the ac going all summer and into the fall.
The wind, in the evening, blows mostly from the south, so the fumes are probably coming from south of you.

I am the guy who's smelling this all the way over in Whitneyville. Strangely, it seems to be wafting in from the north in my case. I do not smell it in the front of my house. It drifts in the windows that face my backyard, which is on the north side of the house. Because of the heat, I keep those windows open, with window fans. I am feeling a bit nervous about this, because these are my children's bedrooms. I just assumed it was skunks for a while. But then I saw these posts. Also, it comes in like clockwork, every night between 9 and maybe 11. Then it disappears.

We smell it here as well at night. I thought, like everyone else, that it was just a skunk. The last couple of nights, it just comes and sticks around for a couple of hours. Today I felt it around 9pm.

We are on Clark St. between State and Orange.

I'm in the process of talking to the city about this and I'm hoping I will know more by tomorrow or Friday. If some of you wouldn't mind providing your names so I can include your experiences in the story, I would appreciate it. If you don't wish to be identified here, please feel free to email me at asanders@nhregister.com.

Thank you all again for sharing your experiences and I hope to have some information soon.

Alexandra Sanders

I smelled the odor tonight at 9:20pm. It is almost like clockwork.

I smelled this skunk-like smell this morning at 1:00 am in East Rock (Orange & Cottage).

We smelled this between 1 am and 3 am last night (Sunday night) and most of the previous nights too around the same time near the corner of Foster and Lawrence Streets in East Rock. I had assumed it was skunk.

This smell is back again tonight in East Rock, and it is really strong!

I smell it too. It is especially gross tonight. After darkness falls in New Haven, I think we should start calling the city Dowisetrepla.

I am in East Rock and am smelling this very strongly right now.

I smell this in East Rock now (about 1 am). It is definitely NOT a skunk, but certainly reminiscent of one (or, maybe a pack of them). I have smelled it a few times over the last couple of weeks.

I still can smelled this smell at 10:20. actually never stop, especially when I drive close to between Exit 7 and 8 on 91 around this time. I live in prospect street near east rock. I am sure this is not skunk. It is so bad. what can we do?

This smell is also apparent around Dean, Concord, Alden & Eden Sts. It smells like sewage and methane. Have looked everywhere inside & out for dead animals. Could there be dead animals trapped in the sewer lines/traps? It's been like this for a couple weeks. WPCA HELP!

The nasty garlic/burning rubber odor north of Hartford is coming from either the East Hartford or Manchester Transfer Station or Landfill.I'm betting it's some processing chemical they spray.
You New Haven folks should ask the DEEP to check into local Transfer Stations to see if the odor emanates from there. If it happens every night at specific times some chemicals are being dispersed which create the odor.
Email your complaints to deep.aircomplaints@ct.gov

I think (but haven't seen it with my own eyes) the source of this smell is an asphalt batch plant somewhere in the Hamilton Street area used for the temporary portions of the highway reconstruction. Very skunk-like and noxious.

The sludge incinerator at the sewage works malfunctions and pumps out toxic fumes that can be smelt for miles around.

We are trying to delineate issues that are current and need the city's attention to resolve. Any issues prior to 2013 are being closed. If your issue remains and needs to be addressed by the city, please either re-open or open as a new See Click Fix issue. Thanks.