It’s past time to clear the air

Published 4:40 pm Thursday, July 22, 2010

An effort by fed-up Marysville residents to clear the air (figuratively and literally) over the putrid smell emanating from somewhere nearby may finally be getting a meaningful response.

Better late than never, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency should soon begin responding to complaints in a way that matters, working to trace the source of reported odors while they’re still present. That means inspectors will have to be available during evening hours and on weekends — when the long-standing problem is at its worst because most people are home to smell it, and suffer its ill-effects.

Residents have compared the stench to that of a rotting corpse. Good luck enjoying a summer evening on the porch with that in the breeze.

More timely inspections were requested by Paul Roberts, who chairs the agency’s board and took plenty of heat Monday during a meeting called by Citizens for a Smell Free Marysville. Roberts is also president of the Everett City Council, within whose city limits at least one source of odors operates — Cedar Grove Composting.

Cedar Grove insists its data show it’s not the sole emitter of foul smells in the area. It’s the agency’s job to get to the bottom of the problem, which to date it has shown a frustrating inability to do. Timely inspections should help, and they need to start immediately.

This issue has festered for at least four years. Cedar Grove is clearly responsible for at least part of it — its Everett facility, which opened in 2004, was fined $14,000 and its Maple Valley operation $22,000 last summer for odor violations. The company must do what’s necessary to fix its part of the problem. The same goes for others if they are found to be contributing to it.

Roberts says the agency will work with the city of Everett on any future expansion permits for Cedar Grove, a good idea as long as it’s done thoughtfully and doesn’t become a counterproductive barrier.

The company says it has no immediate expansion plans, but its business is growing fast as more communities in Snohomish and King counties recycle yard and food waste. Expansion could include more enclosed operations that can keep odors in check. That’s the kind of improvement the city and clean air agency should support.

Eventually, state legislation may be necessary to ensure a proper balance between the amount of compostable material being sent to such facilities and the market for it. If quantities of waste are sitting at facilities too long, municipalities that generate it may need to take responsibility for buying it back as compost.

For Marysville and nearby neighborhoods, though, the immediate priority is right in front of their noses. Track down the source, or sources, of these odors and fix them.