The smell has forced a few families out of those homes while the city tries to get rid of it and find out where the petroleum plume is coming from.
“The petroleum product has found its way into the storm drain system,” said Steve Garside, Public Information Officer with Layton City.
“With the good wet winter that we’ve had the water table in the ground water has pushed the petroleum down Angel Street.
The course those plumes and the groundwater follow is the path of least resistance which is, we figure, our storm drains.” Garside said the petroleum plume sits in the drain and the vapors have entered homes from the land drain system and that creates a noticeable smell in the the home.
“Some people described it as a paint smell.
Like they just finished painting the basement," Garside said.
"Other people like if I am gassing up my lawnmower or my motor boat."
Health agencies are studying samples taken from the storm drain system and hoping to put a stop to the smell so some residents can go back into their homes.
“They are going to actually put in some type of plugs or some type of backflow prevention device that will still allow the water to go into the system but prevents vapors from going up the laterals,” Garside said.
Watch the news story above to hear what they have to say and see National Guard crews take samples of the plume.

Adobe Stock Sandy officials are warning residents to be aware of scammers pretending to be from the health department after the city’s recent contaminated water troubles.
SANDY — Sandy officials are warning residents to be aware of scammers pretending to be from the health department after the city’s recent contaminated water troubles.
"We have had reports of impersonators claiming to be from the health department to test water and asking for financial information," the city tweeted Wednesday.
The city and health department will not ask residents for money, according to the tweet, and such requests are scams.
On Feb. 15, Sandy reported water samples in an area of the city had tested high for copper and lead after a fluoride feeder malfunctioned and sent undiluted fluoride into the system.
That incident occurred in the midst of a power outage during a snow storm, the city said.
The incident prompted a number of angry residents to show up to a town hall the following week to vent frustrations with the way the city handled the incident.
Sandy’s director of public utilities was later put on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.
Play Video Play Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Remaining Time -0:00 This is a modal window.
Foreground — White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan — Opaque Semi-Opaque Background — White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan — Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window — White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan — Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Default Monospace Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Sans-Serif Casual Script Small Caps Defaults Done

The use of road salt has been getting a lot of airtime these past few months. Why? Because it’s wreaking havoc on our natural environment. While salt can control ice and keep us safe during our winter travels, it doesn’t tend to stay where we put it. A University of Minnesota study found that about 78 percent of road salt applied in the Twin Cities winds up in either our groundwater supply or our local lakes, streams, and rivers. That means only 22 percent of the salt we use is actually doing what it’s applied to do. And we can see the results of this already – the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reports that groundwater in Minnesota’s urban areas exceeds the state standard for chloride (salt) contamination. Additionally, they’ve found that 39 bodies of water in the Twin Cities, including Minnehaha Creek, test above the state standard for chloride. What’s the big deal? Well, one teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water. This means that if your groundwater becomes contaminated with chloride, the water from your tap may start to taste a little salty (and removing salt from water is prohibitively costly on a large scale). Too much salt also can impact your favorite things to do in and around water. Chloride is toxic for…

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Toxins have seeped into the ground near the University of Memphis, but the Environmental Protection Agency and Memphis Light Gas and Water both claim the drinking water has not been affected. Federal and Tennessee agencies are holding meetings to update the public on the superfund site. The former dry cleaner site has five testing wells driven into the soil to gauge the flow of the toxins in the soil and if it seeped into the ground water below. Trending stories: The EPA collected data beginning July…

Free Press reporters Joel Baird and Nicole DeSmet discuss the morning’s top headlines. JOEL BAIRD, NICOLE DESMET, ABIGAIL SILIN/FREE PRESS Essex Junction issued a boil water advisory Thursday after a major water line break threatened contamination of drinking water. The notice by the Essex Junction Water Department is for customers who experienced low water pressure, or lost pressure, but the department advised anyone who is unsure if they are affected to boil their water as a precaution. Essex High School sent…

Free Press reporters Joel Baird and Nicole DeSmet discuss the morning’s top headlines. JOEL BAIRD, NICOLE DESMET, ABIGAIL SILIN/FREE PRESS Essex Junction issued a boil water advisory Thursday after a major water line break threatened contamination of drinking water. The notice by the Essex Junction Water Department is for customers who experienced low water pressure, or lost pressure, but the department advised anyone who is unsure if they are affected to boil their water as a precaution. Essex High School sent…

Ensuring all citizens have access to safe drinking water has been a priority for the EU for decades. It’s crucial for public health and wellbeing, and shortages or contamination can lead to serious social, health and economic problems. The EU believes that high quality drinking water should be guaranteed for all consumers, which is why it’s one of the main principles included in the European Pillar of Social Rights. It’s strongly agreed that all consumers should have access to both safe water and reliable information about its supply. In light of this, the commission has announced its plans to revise legislation to improve the Drinking Water Directive. To support this cause, the European Citizens’ Initiative have gather over 1.6 million signatures as part of the “Right2Water” campaign, which was introduced to improve access for all Europeans. Thanks to current legislation, the majority of EU citizens already have very good access to high quality drinking water. The last 30 years…

Columnist David McKay Wilson talks about changes in the plan for Westchester County Airport since George Latimer took over as county executive. FiOS Westchester has discovered groundwater contamination at the county airport, with officials suspecting it was caused by chemicals used in firefighting foam decades ago. Preliminary results from one monitoring well, located near a former Air National Guard septic field, found contaminants in concentrations that were 14 times the limit set by the US Environmental Protection Agency health advisory. The airport borders the Kensico Reservoir, which provides drinking water to New York City and some Westchester residents. Most residents in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, get their water from reservoirs in town managed by Aquarion Water Co., although some rely on private wells. Tests of the Kensico Reservoir have found no evidence that the contamination has seeped into the water supply, a state official said. “We had a few high hits on some wells,” said Vincent Kopicki, the county’s commissioner of public works and transportation, at the Jan. 24 meeting of the county Airport Advisory Board. The contamination was detected at a well just north of the airport in July 2017, which led to testing of wells across the airport property. Samples taken in November found contamination at the airport, with the public notified of the findings at the Jan. 24 meeting of the Westchester Airport Advisory Board. Investigators want to determine which direction the contamination is flowing — to the west toward the Kensico Reservoir, or to the southeast, toward public wells in Greenwich. The EPA sets safe drinking water standards of 70 parts per trillion….

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan is demanding answers from state bureaucrats who failed to test new schools for lead contamination, forcing hundreds of Perth students to drink bottled water yesterday. Two schools, Doubleview Primary School and Southern Grove Primary School, have now been cleared. But Rapids Landing Primary School, Aveley North Primary School and Aveley Secondary College students are still banned from drinking from the taps at their schools. Mr McGowan is blaming public servants, who did…