GAINESVILLE — It took a few weeks, but local, state and federal officials found the source of a foul odor on the west side of Gainesville that prompted complaints from residents and businesses alike.
Kelly Randall, the Director of the Gainesville Department of Water Resources, said Friday all evidence points to Sonstegard Foods on Memorial Park Road. He said the egg processing plant suffered a power outage earlier in the summer that led to the problem.
"The bacteria in their treatment pond had died," said Randall. "We just really had a difficult time getting enough oxygen in the water to regrow the bacteria that actually break down the wastewater."
He said Sonstegard acted quickly once officials with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) pinpointed the source of the smell.
"As soon as the plant realized they had a problem, they jumped right on it," said Randall. "I'd like to stress that the company is a good corporate citizen, and as soon as they realized they had a problem...they bought new aerators, they put in misters to kind of mask the odor. They actually went around to the businesses and some local communities to say 'Hey, we're working on it.'"
Randall said the summer heat didn't help matters; the odor lingered for weeks.
"I think that if the pond had lost power in November or December, the bugs would not have died because the water would have been able to retain enough oxygen. It was almost a perfect storm, just the timing and all that it occurred," said Randall.
He pointed out the pond never missed its water quality standard when it was tested, and Randall emphasized that the odor was never toxic.
As far as the length of time it took to find the source of the odor, Randall said officials acted as quickly as they could, but it was a tricky process.
"Part of the issue occurred in that people were smelling it but we weren't really even aware of it," said Randall. "There were days that I was out there and I was standing right next to the pond and I could smell no odor at al, but if you went over to some of the surrounding streets and communities, it was really pretty strong. When you talk about odors, it's really difficult because frankly, it's dependent on which way the wind blows."
