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VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — The University of South Dakota has found the cause of one odor that has permeated the university's law school but is still seeking the source of another bad smell.
A fluid used in a coolant system is leaking from pipes underground and releasing an odor as it degrades that smells like rotting onions, university spokeswoman Tena Haraldson said. Officials plan to spend up to $100,000 on replacing the leaking pipes, but the work can't be done until after the school year wraps up.
"We've got to hold out for two weeks," law school dean Tom Geu told the Argus Leader newspaper (http://argusne.ws/1K8PvAm ). "Every day it doesn't smell is a good day because we move one day closer to taking care of it."
Frozen ground in the winter minimized the smell, but with the spring thaw the stink has returned.
"We've certainly had employees who complained about the smell," Haraldson said. "We've had people who work in the area who say the smell makes them nauseous. It is not in fact causing them physical illness. When removed from the smell, they feel better."
Officials are still trying to find the source of an intermittent sewer smell at the law school. Testing will be done once the school year ends, Haraldson said.
Air quality tests have not found any toxic readings, she said.
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
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