Milpitas in Santa Clara County is best known for two things: a massive mall and a mysterious bad odor.

The smell, which has been described as trash-like and reminiscent of sewage, has been plaguing poor Milpitians for more than a decade. Prospective home buyers ask about it on Reddit threads and Trulia forums, wondering if the odor is so stinky, they should avoid moving to the city altogether. There's even a whole website dedicated to answering people's questions about it.

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It appears the people of Milpitas have finally had enough. The city council recently approved an $85,000 pilot program to investigate the source of the unpleasant aroma. The city will mount equipment on buildings and light poles that can "detect the presence of various organic compounds, gases and chemicals," KPIX reports.

Over the next year, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will also be studying the city's air quality.

"They call it smelly, stinky. Whatever it is, I can't have it," mayor Rich Tran told KPIX. "I'm not here to point fingers. I'm here to make sure the number one priority is our public health and ensuring that there's no hazardous material or air pollution that the residents breathe every day."

There are three leading suspects for the source of the stink: the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility located just west of Milpitas, the Zanker Recycling plant next door to the wastewater facility, or the Newby Island Landfill near Dixon Landing Road and McCarthy Boulevard.

Locals hope the study will find out what's truly to blame, and how to fix it.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.

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