Marina del Rey residents say Cedars-Sinai has paused excavation work after weeks of complaints about a sewage-like stench.
Laura Clementi, a nearby resident, told Fox 11 that the odor has plagued the coastal Los Angeles neighborhood for roughly six weeks. She described the smell in blunt terms during an on-camera interview with the station.
“It smells like sewage; it’s not table water,” Clementi said.
Another neighbor, David Levy, offered an even more vivid comparison when speaking to Fox 11. He likened the stench to an outhouse that had been neglected for an extended period.
“Like going into an outhouse that’s really bad, that’s been there for a year. It’s horrible,” Levy said.
The relentless odor drove residents to create a group chat dedicated to tracking down its source. Neighbors eventually identified construction underway at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital as the likely culprit. The hospital, located along Lincoln Boulevard, is in the midst of a major project to build a new nine-story facility expected to open in 2026.
Clementi said that the smell has disrupted her daily routine and affected her health. She specified the early morning hours as particularly unbearable.
“Even with my windows closed and the AC going, I wake up to the smell,” Clementi said. “I wake up at 5 a.m. With this sewage smell. It’s making me nauseous.”
Craig Lightner, who keeps a boat in the marina, said the odor has been especially brutal in recent weeks. He also captured video appearing to show murky water bubbling up near the marina, which he described in stark terms.
“Sewage, like a toilet,” Lightner said. “The whole marina turned white.”
Lightner said he has experienced headaches, nausea, dizziness and difficulty concentrating that he believes may be connected to the smell. He also expressed concern about the impact on marine life in the area, pointing to visible damage.
“There’s barnacles. If you look closely over there, it’s all dead,” Lightner said.
Cedars-Sinai has acknowledged that its construction work is connected to the odor. The hospital is excavating an area on the southwest side of its campus to install an emergency sewer holding tank, a project required under state law. The tank is intended to help the hospital continue operating during a major earthquake or other natural disaster.
During excavation, groundwater has periodically entered the construction area. Cedars-Sinai says that water is treated before being discharged into storm drains, but the hospital says an odor can develop when the treated water mixes with storm-drain runoff.
Video from the area appeared to show water accumulating in the excavation site, while resident cellphone footage appeared to capture runoff entering the marina.
The hospital said it has paused excavation work “out of an abundance of caution” while it works with the Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau to address the problem. Cedars-Sinai apologized for the disruption and said it is prioritizing the safety of the surrounding community and staying in contact with residents.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District confirmed to Fox 11 that it is aware of the complaints and that an active investigation is underway.
Lightner said that temporarily shutting off the water flow appeared to produce immediate results. He noted the change after officials took action during their visit.
“They turned the water flow off while they were here and it’s definitely made a difference since they’ve turned it off,” Lightner said.
For residents who say they have endured weeks of the foul smell, however, the solution cannot come soon enough. The hospital has not announced a timeline for resuming the excavation work.
The new Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital has been quickly rising since October, growing from what one hospital official described as a block-long hole in the ground to an eight-story tower. The project will replace the current two-story hospital that has served the community for more than 50 years.