Complaints about Des Moines' stink sink
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The number of odor complaints in Des Moines plummeted in the first half of this year since the city installed more scientific odor detectors, data obtained by Axios through a public records request shows.
Why it matters: Des Moines is believed to be the first U.S. city to use such a system, which could serve as a model for other municipalities looking to improve quality of life for their residents.
Catch up quick: DSM has struggled with foul odors for decades, often linked to animal processing facilities near downtown.
- A study commissioned by the city in 2021 identified three "significant odor generators" — Darling Ingredients rendering plant, Pine Ridge Farms pork packing plant and Wiechman Pig Company, a swine buying station.
- The businesses agreed to work with the city, and in October 2023, DSM installed scientific monitors near the processing plants to alert about spikes in chemical compounds that commonly cause foul odors.
State of play: The city has been refining or expanding its "eNose" system in recent months, with the Council approving more monitors late last year.
- Environmental or health executives from several of the companies told City Council members during an October meeting that they were also making more improvements at their sites.
Driving the news: Complaints dropped by over 50%, from 182 in the first half of 2024 to 90 this year, according to city data.
- The number of days the city defines as "critical" with five or more complaints dropped from 10 to 1 during that same period.
Yes, but: More data is needed for a comprehensive assessment.
- Complaints have traditionally been more common in summer and fall months when seasonal wind patterns direct odors to more populated areas of the city, Dalton Jacobus, Des Moines' neighborhood inspections administrator, told the council at the October meeting.
The intrigue: Complaints were lower between 2020 and 2022 because of the pandemic when fewer workers were downtown, Jacobus told the council.
- Aside from those years, there have been at least 245 complaints each year since 2016.
What's next: Monitoring continues and will lead to future council discussions, Jacobus tells Axios.