Critics say a task force to investigate odors in downtown Niagara Falls is an election year stunt by Mayor Paul Dyster.
But Dyster says the problem has "gotten more intense" recently and several new hotels are going up not far from the waste water treatment plant on Buffalo Avenue.
"We're not trying to point the finger at them, but this is a problem now that we as a community need to deal with. It may take some money to fix this problem," Dyster told reporters.
The Air Quality Task Force has been established to address the problem.
"All of us together need to work to try to identify funding sources so that this, at some point in the future--next year, two years from now--doesn't become a major impediment to future economic growth. "
Dyster says there is $350 million worth of new development underway in downtown Niagara Falls. Visitor numbers are "through the roof."