Officials at the Pennzoil Products Refinery detailed their plans Tuesday night for putting a stop to an odor problem plaguing residents of a nearby subdivision.
Residents of the Meadowbrook Subdivision in south Roosevelt have complained about the "ammonia-like sulfur" smell for close to five years and are now demanding answers and a permanent solution. Homeowners blame the refinery for the pervasive, almost intolerable stench that they say enters their homes through the sewer system at varying degrees almost year-round."At a dinner for my parents we were siting in our home, but because of the smell it was like sitting in a latrine. We couldn't eat," Kathleen Lemon complained to Pennzoil officials.
Other homeowners have had to spend the summer sweltering because using swamp coolers and air conditioners pulls in the odor, making it even more intense.
The smell is believed to be caused when hot effluent discharged by the refinery comes in contact with sewage from the subdivision. The odor first surfaced in 1988 when federal regulations forced Pennzoil to shut down its wastewater treatment ponds for environmental reasons. Since then wastewater produced at the refinery has gone into the city's sewer system.
The unpleasant smell isn't residents' only complaint. They want to know what health risks they may be facing because of the gases creating the odor.
Cory Christensen, environmental engineer for Pennzoil, promised homeowners the company will double its efforts to make sure it responds to all complaints. Residents were given forms to fill out to keep track of exactly when odor occurs and asked to list any health problems they believe may be caused by the smell.
Christensen said the logs kept by residents will be analyzed by doctors and toxicologists to gain answers on health-related issues. He said monitoring devices installed in homes in the subdivision in the past never detected any toxic levels of gases.
In addition to improving communication between the company and subdivision residents, Christensen said Pennzoil will continue to operate the cooling system installed last spring and pay the city to pump extra cooling water into the sewer system during discharges. Simply cooling the wastewater several degrees has already proven somewhat effective in combating the odor.
A new twist, explained Christensen, will be the injection of highly concentrated amounts of hydrogen peroxide into the discharges in an effort to oxidize high levels of sulfur.
He said a biological treatment system that will "eat up" the ammonia in the wastewater is scheduled to be completed by May 31. And if all that fails, Pennzoil has already contracted to spend $2,2000 to conduct an immediate engineering study on the feasibility of a gravity-flow sewer system that would bypass the subdivision. Residents cheered that idea but warned that solution may just divert the odor problem rather than clean it up.
But that's not all, Christensen said. Another concept being considered is the possibility of recycling wastewater in-house and eliminating any discharges.
The city agreed to conduct its own monitoring of hazardous emissions from the sewer system and keep residents informed of possible health problems. City officials will also look at "up-line" sewer users to make sure there are no additional factors creating the smell blamed on Pennzoil.
A neighborhood committee was also formed to meet bimonthly with Pennzoil officials until the situation is permanently remedied.
"We want to be good neighbors," stressed homeowner Ron Richens. "We don't want to run you out of town. We want to help however we can. But we feel like we've been lied to, like your people haven't been straightforward. This time we want commitments."