OGDEN (AP) — City officials recently bought a $1,475 olfactometer to sniff out odor violations following complaints at a dog-food factory.
Three citizens volunteered to join a city sniff squad and will be trained to used the device, Ogden Chief Administrative Officer John Patterson said.
The squad will be headed by municipal code enforcement officers.
"We need to do this because we don't want noxious odors to impact air quality in Ogden," Patterson said.
The city has received complaints for years about odors at American Nutrition Inc., which makes dog and cat food. The factory, however, has installed an exhaust scrubber to cut down on emissions from three ovens.
Restaurants and bakeries are exempt from the city's odor ordinance.
Agricultural and manufacturing facilities, other than those processing animal or marine products, will not be in violation of the law if they can demonstrate they are using the best available technology to control objectionable odors.
The city bought the "Nasal Ranger" odor meter from St. Croix Sensory Inc., based in Lake Elmo, Minn.