EVERETT – Residents in Everett’s Bayside neighborhood have confronted Kimberly-Clark Corp. officials about what they say was an excessively noisy and smelly summer.
“Some people are thinking about moving, and others had trouble sleeping because of the noise and the smell,” said Elle Ray, chairwoman of the Bayside Neighborhood Association.
Neighbors invited Kimberly-Clark representatives to speak at Bayside’s monthly meeting last week, and consulted officials from the state Department of Ecology and the Washington Toxic Coalition.
“We’re getting educated, trying to understand better how Kimberly-Clark operates,” Ray said.
Ray said the summer was extraordinarily noisy and smelly. She fielded reports of excessive air particles, sulfur and ammonialike smells, and an ongoing, high-pitched noise similar to that of a boiling teapot.
Christine Kurtz, the company’s environmental manager, and Chris Isenberg, pulp mill manager, spoke to more than 20 neighbors.
“A dialogue between (the mill and neighbors) helps both parties,” Kurtz said. “Citizens understand what happens down here, and it helps us follow up and solve issues when we can.”
Kurtz said Kimberly-Clark identified two of the bothersome noises. One turned out to be a chemical unloading pump outside the building. The company fixed a pump inside the building and will avoid using the outside pump.
The other noise, a shrill whistle, turned out to be a steam release. The company has started a “silencer project” to quiet the noise, Kurtz said.
“They try to be pretty responsible,” Ray said. “They certainly have indicated that they want to work with the neighbors and address as many of the issues as they can.”
Neighbors also are working with the company on a complaint process. Residents want to know that when they complain they are being listened to, Ray said.
Added Isenberg, “If they call and complain, (we can) have one of our employees come up to their house at that time to try to get a feel for what they’re experiencing.”
Kimberly-Clark’s emissions are regulated by the Ecology Department and by the mill’s own corporate guidelines, which are even stricter that the state’s rules, Kurtz said.
Ray said she and other neighbors still are concerned about how emissions are affecting the environment.
She consulted Laurie Valeriano, policy director of the Washington Toxic Coalition, who spoke to neighbors about the pollutants pulp mills commonly emit.
Valeriano told the group about other communities that have sought to establish “good-neighbor agreements” by letting the mill know when there are particular odors or releases.
Ray said becoming educated now will help Bayside neighbors have a voice in the future, perhaps during the mill’s air-quality permit renewal process. Bayside will next discuss Kimberly-Clark at its Nov. 17 meeting.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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