In case you had any doubts that Washington is little more than a swamp with marble buildings, venture outside for a quick check on your surroundings. In fact, head to the intersection of 20th and L Streets, NW for a prime example. Much like a swamp, it totally smells like ass. Literal ass. You know that buttered popcorn smell they blow all over theme parks and movie theatres? Imagine that, but with raw sewage; it's like WASA has set up exhaust fans under the street. We don't even want to think about what it looks like under there: complete horror show.

Who's to blame for the malodorous commute downtown? The very public habits of the folks over at Media Matters would be a good candidate, but they're all the way over by Scott Circle. On the four corners of the intersection are two banks, an optician, and the Peace Corps. Though the Peace Corps is probably a building full of people rejoicing to have indoor plumbing once again, we doubt they have the capacity to cause such a problem. There are several offices right there, though. Ketchum Public Relations? The FCC's Universal Service Fund? The American Prospect? Maybe young Mr. Yglesias has the answer. Hmmm?

Thousands of D.C. workaday-types walk past Sewer Square every day, but people have yet to raise a stink about it. A quick survey of my office confirms that I'm not the only one holding his breath as he darts across the street, either. Drastic defense measures aside, we're guessing that it's probably just a low point in D.C.'s ancient combined sewer system that carries away both storm water and sewer discharge. So on hot, dry days with no rain to flush the system, the poor folk around 20th and L can look forward to holding their noses when they're unlucky enough to get a "don't walk" signal. It figures though, New York gets a mysterious maple syrup smell and D.C. gets poo.

Photo from flickrite crystl.