The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are two of several famous victims of a horrendous stench from a bird refuge near their home.
Based in Montecito, California, Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s home has been taken over by the smell of the Andree Clark Bird Refuge – built on a 42-acre saltwater marsh, The Mirror reports.
Other unfortunate residents include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
A local anonymous resident said: “It smells like offal that has been rotting in the sun. It makes my stomach churn.
“I’ve seen lots of homeowners closing their windows when it wafts over.”
And local officials have said that the stench is due to improvement works taken place on the grounds, which are set to continue until at least Autumn – which is not ideal if you’ve just spent around £8 million on a place to live there.
(Image: Google)
Cameron Benson, clean water manager for the City of Santa Barbara, said: “Water can become stagnant there.
“The odour issues are sporadic and sometimes they are worse in some conditions.
“Our goal is to improve water quality and wildlife habitat there.”
According to local news reports, the refuge, which used to be a salt pond, has been a smelly problem for decades, and can often see the water turn a variety of colours, from green and brown, to pink.
In September, 2021, when the level dropped to one of its lowest for decades, walker Karen Heimberg described the smell.
She said: “This feels like the duck poop.
(Image: alexilubomirski/Instagram)
“That is what it smells like to me, the duck poop because it is drying and in the sun.”
And the smell is made worse when, as the water level continues to drop, dead fish are left submerged just about the water level.
Goleta Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling told newspress.com last year: “Lakes in the area such as the Andree Clark Bird Refuge in Santa Barbara and Lake Los Carneros have experienced high algae growth and die-off in the past, especially in years with low rainfall rates.
“Residents in the area can be affected by the odor that sometimes accompanies the algae and fish die off.
“The best way to resolve the condition is wet rainy years that tend to flush the lakes and keep the algae growth relatively low.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
