Milton residents continue to have issues with odors
MILTON — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate complaints of odor at United Ethanol, 1250 Chicago St., Milton.
The DNR responded to a city request for an odor investigation in a letter dated March 31. The Milton City Council discussed the DNR response at its meeting Tuesday.
DNR staff hasn't confirmed the plant is releasing "malodorous emissions," but it has identified potential sources of odor, according to the letter from Lloyd Eagan, DNR south central regional director.
It has asked the plant to evaluate emissions from its scrubbers, general operations and building operations and report to the DNR by April 30.
"To date, the department is not satisfied that you are taking preventative measures to abate or control such emissions," Brian Barbieur, air management engineer, wrote in a letter to the plant.
The plant plans to submit an "odor plan" and already has taken steps to address the concerns, spokeswoman Dori Lichty said. She said the installation of a new regenerative thermal oxidizer in December has "drastically improved" the odor.
But neighbors and city elected officials aren't satisfied. Neighbors complained at a February city council meeting that the plant still stinks. One woman said she felt like she was robbed of the right to use her backyard.
Mayor Tom Chesmore said he's smelled the plant on bad days, and it burns his nostrils.
"They (the plant) have problems, and they need to get them addressed, and they need to do it quickly," he said.
The DNR can declare odor objectionable based on its own investigation or a random sampling in which 60 percent of people exposed to the odor at home or work find it objectionable.
The department is continuing its investigation and would conduct a survey as a last resort, said Tom Roushar, air management program supervisor. A survey is time consuming and not always accurate, he said.
Roushar said he understands residents' frustration at how long the plant is taking to come into compliance. The department issued a report detailing permit violations by the plant in June, and since then it has been working with the plant to address issues, he said.
On March 24, the department issued a letter of noncompliance complaining the plant is not submitting all the required records to the department.
"Until they (plant officials) get used to fully complying, it's going to take some time," he said. "We expect total compliance."
Apr 23, 2009 at 12:01 p.m.
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Ok seriously, all of these complaints are super annoying. It's part of life to have industrial smells in the air, unfortunately. If you want the air to smell like roses all the time, you should invest the money to completely take care of the polution problems solo. Get real and deal with it. If you don't like it, MOVE. IT's very simple.
Apr 23, 2009 at 7:34 a.m.
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Frank Bros smells awful. I'm convinced it is toxic- moreso than the ethanol emissions. I go past the ethanol plant all the time- there are no black clouds I have seen from anywhere other than Frank Bros pit. As far as the cheeto dust- send a sample to the health department and the DNR air quality specialist named in the article, Brian Barbieur.
Apr 23, 2009 at 6:22 a.m.
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To all , I was here first ! I didn't choose to buy after this stink hole went in . I knew about Frank's Pit before i purchased . If the Ethonal plant was a restaurant , I do believe it would be shut down . This is hurting our health as well as the animals , yet it is allowed to continue to function . The black clouds are propably showing us what the plant does at night . Time to get this taken care of and find out why the past Mayor let this continue . Something stinks like day old bread or leadership !
Apr 23, 2009 at 12:39 a.m.
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The smell is similar to rotting garbage or the smell from the slime that sits at the bottom of a dumpster. Come take a ride to Milton. Sit at the park on the east side when the odor is bad. Try to cook out or sit in your yard when that garbage smell comes. You cannot stand it and need to go inside and close all windows. It is very strong and would as they say 'knock a vulture off a poop wagon'. People aren't making it up. I live on east side of Milton. It stinks. And then there is always the 'orange' dust sprinkling down on all of us that we call 'cheeto' dust. On car windows, lawns, trees, grass, in pools. Come look at night or just before dawn and see the black clouds from the plant heading wherever the wind blows...sometimes Janesville, sometimes Whitewater, or Edgerton or Ft Atkinson...all directions....huge black clouds full of ... well we don't know do we?
Apr 22, 2009 at 10:06 p.m.
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They "say" if you can smell something, you also are tasting it. Why doesn't the plant simply do something about it?! There are filters, hello!I don't understand Wisconsinites. You got a problem, SOLVE IT!!
Apr 22, 2009 at 9:23 p.m.
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The ethanol plant smells like a bakery to me,
I would be more concerned about the Frank Brothers asphalt plant; that place stinks so bad you can't stand it. they are burning oil over there and I would have to say that has far more health risks.
Lets have the Mayor have all the industry in the city under go a stink test as well as a polution assessment.
Apr 22, 2009 at 8:46 p.m.
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I believe the neighbors of the ethanol plant are more concerned with their health than the odor. The odor is just an indication that something is very wrong. I was invited to come out to one of their homes when the wind was blowing their way. The odor was terrible (they have lost the use of their own yards) worse though, was that I could "taste" the smell hours after leaving their home. (I was only there abut 45 minutes.) I don't think we should judge those who complain until we walk in their shoes. I doubt that if our neighbors burnt a pile of tires in their yard for days on end most of us would complain. I also doubt that we could get away with it. As far as the "country smell" that some have mentioned, this may be irritating but not a health hazard. Unlike most of the homes with the "country smell" who moved into a farming area the neighbors of the ethanol plant bought homes in the country before the plant moved in. There home values have plummeted, their health is at risk and their quality of life has been greatly effected because of the plant. Note in the other article on the plant is says that the emissions could cause health problems and cancer in animals. Good luck to those of you fighting for your health and quality of life!!!
Apr 22, 2009 at 5:01 p.m.
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Quit your complaining... we're a farm country!
Apr 22, 2009 at 4:40 p.m.
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You have my sympathy for having your home disturbed by industry. In cities there is planning for industry to be away from homes.
Not so with the so called "green" industry. They can disturb homes. You are supposed to be accepting of that kind of industry. This will all be change with experience and time but waiting? Anger and resentment are killers. Take care.
Apr 22, 2009 at 4:33 p.m.
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If you want to talk about odors - drive by the west side of Milton when the farms by Newville Road and I-90 have their smell come our way - or how about driving down Madison Ave when the water treatment plant by North Street emits it odor. Seems some people just want to complain about anything.
Apr 22, 2009 at 4:20 p.m.
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Your country fresh air will soon dissappear with the new bypass.
Apr 22, 2009 at 2:33 p.m.
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I don't think it is one person at all . I live close by and let me tell you it is very bad some days ! Somedays you don't even know it is here but, other days you just want to puke from the smell . I'm glad the new Mayor agrees , maybe now something will be done about it ! I like fresh country air without the Ethanol stench !
Apr 22, 2009 at 2:14 p.m.
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Cargill was there a few years prior to the ethanol plant.
Apr 22, 2009 at 1:31 p.m.
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Greengina8 - Yes, he is one of them.
There's about a half dozen extreme ethanol haters that constantly complain. I often wonder, with those complainers that live directly east in the shadow of the Cargill tower, why they never seem to have any corn dust on their property from Cargill. I have been at the Cargill plant on many occasions and that is an extremely dusty place.
Oh, I know. It couldn't possibly be from Cargill, which is directly next door. It has to be from the ethanol plant which is approximately 3/4 mile from them. Makes sense to me.
Apr 22, 2009 at 1:05 p.m.
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Nice headline.
Apr 22, 2009 at 12:47 p.m.
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Isn't this just one guy who complains about the smell al the time? The house with the "Ethanol Stinks" sign in his front yard? It sucks they built this in his front yard. What will he say when the bypass goes through his front yard?
Apr 22, 2009 at 11:36 a.m.
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Why is it that the only people who get "sick" are the ones that don't want it here? I've talked to so many people in Milton. The vast majority of them don't get sick, and they don't care whether it's (the plant) is here or not.
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