City's new stink detectors use science over subjectivity
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One of 10 of Des Moines' odor monitors installed in October: Photo: Courtesy of the city of DSM
An odor tracking system that collects scientific data linked with smells in the air is now in place in multiple Des Moines industrial sites, Dalton Jacobus, the city's neighborhood inspections administrator, tells Axios.
Why it matters: The system provides scientific data that can help determine when, where and what is causing foul odors that have plagued the city for decades.
Catch up fast: DSM is home to facilities like animal processing plants that can emit what city officials have previously described as a "putrid rotting smell."
- For decades, the city used a system that required 10 or more Odor Hotline complaints within six hours before staffers tried to identify the cause.
- It resulted in no mitigation plans from suspected odor violators in at least the past 20 years.
Driving the news: The City Council in August hired Environsuite, an international company that uses its eNose system to collect scientific data measuring chemicals that cause smell, like ammonia.
- Monitors and a weather station began collecting odor data about six weeks ago near three businesses named in a study commissioned by the city as possible odor offenders — Darling Ingredients, Wiechman Pig Company and a Pine Ridge Farms pork packing plant.
- Data will be collected for at least six months before city staff returns to the council with recommendations for new compliance requirements, Jacobus says.
The intrigue: Wiechman recently added more equipment and staff to help monitor and reduce odors, district manager Todd Burgett tells Axios.
- DSM's initial data indicates the company is not a major source linked with recent smell events, Jacobus says.
Meanwhile, Pine Ridge, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc., invested $2 million in a system that eliminates most odors.
- The company does not believe recent odors are linked to its facility, Jim Monroe, a spokesperson for the company, tells Axios.
Separately, Darling spokesperson Jillian Fleming told Axios in June that the company was evaluating its odor control technology.
What they're saying: Councilperson Carl Voss says the issue is embarrassing and finding solutions can improve the quality of life here.
- Plus, resolving the problem could make the city's available industrial space more attractive to other businesses that may be hesitant to locate near sites with frequent foul odors, he tells Axios.
Of note: There's a moratorium on the city's odor enforcement while the initial data is collected, Jacobus says.
- Citizens are encouraged to continue making complaints via the hotline or online because the information is being used to help develop the city's data tracking.