No hint where Everett stench started

Published 11:22 pm Friday, December 7, 2007

EVERETT — No sources of odor were found Friday at Kimberly-Clark, even though some Everett residents complained of an unpleasant smell from the area of the paper mill.

After the complaints rolled in, mill workers went looking but were unable to locate anything unusual, said Christine Kurtz, the Everett plant’s environmental manager.

She couldn’t smell anything unusual from the mill, she said.

“I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s something else that could be going on,” Kurtz said. “As of yet, I haven’t found anything for sure.”

There were no mechanical mishaps at the plant on Friday, she said.

“The mill has been running fine today; there are no known upsets,” Kurtz said.

Kimberly-Clark has caused some pungent odors this year.

In late October, the state issued the company a violation notice — the first step when a company is accused of violating state environmental laws — for allowing a pile of wood waste to smolder for months just east of E. Grand Avenue.

Earlier this year, the company was fined $16,000 by the state for a mishap at its waterfront mill that violated air-quality laws and covered much of the city with a potent rotten-egg smell for two days in April.

Kimberly-Clark has about 850 employees in Everett and produces about a million rolls of toilet paper and other paper products a day.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.