Sydney Cromwell
Special Issues Committee
Special Issues Committee
Efforts to fix the odor problems coming from the Barber/Mayfield and Buffalo Rock facilities in West Homewood will continue at least until March.
At the Jan. 25 special issues committee meeting, Ward 2 Representative Fred Hawkins invited representatives from Mayfield, Buffalo Rock and the county Department of Environmental Services to update the committee on their efforts to combat the odor that has been plaguing West Homewood for a few months.
The county representatives said they have replaced two sewer manhole covers in the area with versions that have better seals, and they plan to replace more by the end of the week. The county also had a gas logger in the sewer in December, which detected low levels of hydrogen sulfide.
"We're doing that to make everyone in the room confident that it wasn't the problem in the first place," one county employee said.
Eddie Allen of Dean Foods, who manages the Mayfield dairy plant, said the plant is planning to do neighborhood atmospheric testing both when the smell is present and when it is not, in an attempt to determine the source. They are waiting on final equipment to begin that process. The plant is also installing a secondary odor control system in the wastewater treatment area, which will be operational by the end of February. Construction has also been stopped on the plant's roof replacement, which is about 75 percent completed, until the secondary system is in place and winds will not blow any odors toward residences.
Hawkins said that since finding the source of an odor is a "really tricky thing," it is likely that the council cannot take further steps to determine odor sources until these projects by Mayfield and the county are completed. He noted that the smell has changed since the first steps to address the problem were taken, and he's hopeful that these new steps will eliminate the problem or narrow down the possible sources.
"We're not going to get anywhere until they're finished," Hawkins said.
Once these projects are finished, Hawkins said he'd like to focus on noise and potential odor problems from the Buffalo Rock bottling facility.
Matthew Dent, the Buffalo Rock president and COO, said the company has a larger operating plan in action to reduce noise and light problems for neighbors. These include moving noisy operations farther from homes and potential noise dampening screens.
"That is going to have a huge impact on noise complaints, which I know are real," Dent said.
He said crews had already worked with neighbors to make lighting changes, which residents present at the meeting said had improved the situation. In response to one citizen's complaint about the beeping of backing trucks and an occasional loudspeaker, Dent said the company is looking at new light-based warnings for company trucks going in reverse, and trying to find the source of the loudspeaker use. Dent said the loudspeaker is not supposed to broadcast outside.
One neighborhood meeting has already been held, but Buffalo Rock is holding a second one on Feb. 17, 7:30 a.m. at their conference center on Citation Court. There, Dent said he will present Buffalo Rock's full plan to neighbors.
"Let's all have one plan and work together to do it right," Dent said.
