Residents on the west side of the Freewood Acres section of Howell Township say they have a problem that really stinks.

Neighbors say a main sewer line that runs through their development is over its capacity and stinking up their homes.

"You start smelling it through your house. You have to shut the windows because it's disgusting, it's revolting," Howell resident Tracie Harper said.

The pipe, which belongs to the Manasquan River Regional Sewerage Authority, runs under West Third Street. Residents say the stink seeps out of manhole covers and plumbing inside their homes. The odor, they say, smells like a mixture of methane gas and rotten eggs.

Some residents say the sewerage authority coated the pipe with lining a few years ago. However, they feel the pipe should have been replaced.

The sewerage authority says septic tanks are creating the odor, not the pipe. The issue will be discussed at a Township Council meeting August 14.