On Monday night, AWES CEO Ross E. Pope gave the Lowell City Council a sneak preview of what his team of experts uncovered when it came to the progressive failure of the wastewater pretreatment and biodigester plant at 625 Chatham St.

In a nutshell, a major problem lurked below the water level of the pretreatment tank, an unseen source of the foul stench that upset the Lowell community and caused closure of the plant last year. (See Grease Balls) 

Pope's direct quotes and his invitation to the council to visit the plant can be found in a story written by Tim McAllister that appeared in the Lowell Ledger, and an explanation about the failure itself can be found in a story told through photos and words in a piece written by Amy Biolchini at Mlive.