Moberly gets odor violation from DNR; ‘I can’t open my windows without the smell getting in my house’
MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Department of Natural Resources issued a violation notice on Thursday to the City of Moberly about an odor coming from a wastewater-holding basin located just off Rollins Street near Highway 63.
The city will have 30 days to submit a plan to reduce the smell.
“We have done an investigation and found some issues there,” Steve Boone, the environmental program manager for the DNR's Northeast Regional Office, said.
The DNR said it began an investigation after receiving several calls from residents. According to Boone, DNR field staff visited the site on multiple occasions over the last several weeks but did not find anything wrong until Wednesday.
“We found some odors present but not real strong odors until this week,” Boone said.
ABC 17 News also received several complaints about the order from residents.
“The smell is so bad some nights that, even though I live about 3/4 of a mile away, I can't open my windows without the smell getting in my house,” Moberly resident Kristin Lee wrote in an email to ABC 17 News. “Even with the windows shut, I can still smell it faintly. Besides the whole area smelling bad to the point that I don't want to go outside in my own backyard, I am concerned about possible health issues this might cause as well as what effect it has on property values in this area”
A field olfactometer called Nasal Ranger is used to determine the dilution threshold standard.
The instrument dilutes the odor with seven parts of filtered air and one part of unfiltered air. If the odor can be detected twice within an hour then it is a violation under the Missouri State Code for odor regulations.
DNR staff documented the odor violation and notified the city on Thursday. The City of Moberly has until Dec. 29 to submit a plan on how it will reduce the odors below the standards.
Once a plan has been submitted, it must be approved by the DNR. The department will then follow up with the city to ensure the plan has been implemented and the smell has been reduced.
“The city I think is cooperating, they have already taken some action now,” Boone said.
ABC 17 News reached out to the City of Moberly for comment.
According to the city’s website, the basin is one-of-five sewer system outfalls located in Moberly. The city’s Treatment Plant calls it one of two lagoons in Moberly designed to serve as a stormwater holding basin that “provides storage from small rain events and are permitted as overflows if the rainwater exceeds the storage capacity.” During heavy rain, the basin can sometimes discharge partially treated stormwater and sewage.
