Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 E. Grand River Ave., and the Student Book Store, 421 E. Grand River Ave., each filed complaints with the East Lansing Public Works Department to complain about the frequent stench in the alley behind their businesses.

The alley smells when it;s humid or raining, which causes an odor that “about knocks you out,” said Cindy Kress, community relations manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

“The smell isn;t bad on days like today when there;s low humidity and it;s breezy,” Kress said. “But when it;s humid and when it rains, the smell is horrible.”

The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services treats unbearable smells by putting deodorizers and filters in the sewers. But such solutions are only temporary, said Todd Sneathen, director of the department.

“That;s a typical situation in the downtown area,” said Sneathen, adding that before the recent complaints, there had not been a complaint about the odor in at least six months. “That sewer down there is about 15 feet in the ground.

“We put the deodorizer and filter in it, which alleviates the problem at least temporarily, but there isn;t a permanent solution.”