: Environment Protection Authority orders New abattoir near Darwin on the nose to fix odour problem

The Northern Territory's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has ordered Australia's biggest beef producer to take "immediate action" to solve odour problems emanating from its new abattoir near Darwin. Residents living near the Australian Agricultural Company's (AACo) meatworks at Livingstone, have been complaining about bad smells for months. Speaking to ABC News last month, resident Glenn Spears described the smell from the abattoir site as "rank". "We've been experiencing some pretty terrible smells coming from that direction," he said. "Even when it's a really still morning, the smell... it's just a rank smell that's hanging in the air. "This morning it was almost sickening to smell, it was that bad." The odour is being caused by the poor quality of wastewater being used, and perhaps over-used, by AACo for irrigation. The EPA said it had comprehensively discussed AACo's proposed plan for improving the quality of wastewater used for irrigation and after "lengthy consideration and discussion", had issued a direction to AACo under the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act, directing the company to "immediately take measures to prevent offensive odours." EPA chairman Bill Freeland, said the authority had given AACo permission to start processing cattle late last year knowing the smell could become an issue. "We in good faith discussed it with them and they said they needed to start slaughtering cattle so they could test and fine-tune their system," Dr Freeland said. "We actually didn't believe they had a system that could be fine-tuned sufficiently, but over six months we felt they could make some great progress. "Unfortunately that progress really didn't eventuate. "But now, AACo has bitten the bullet and is launching into a big program to fix it all up. "The other thing that's very important, is that there'll be no further increase in the number of head that can be slaughtered per day, they (AACo) volunteered that, and we'll have to keep them to that. "The cap is 250 head [a day], maximum." In a statement, AACo said it had met with the NT Environment Protection Authority a number of times and has presented a plan to mitigate odours and ensure sustainable compliance with the EPL for the Livingstone Beef processing facility south of Darwin. "AACo is complying with the direction from the NTEPA and keeping them informed of progress," it said. Last month, the company's managing director, Jason Strong, told ABC Rural the odour problem would be fixed. "It's something we're very conscience of and working on and its' something that we'll be fixed, there's no question about that, it's going to be fixed," he said. "This is a multi-decade investment for us and we want to be a good part of the community for a long time. "This is not a good experience for the locals, but we will fix it and make sure that we don't have a negative impact on the local environment."

Steps To Address Odor Issues @ La Jolla

It's an issue that lingers in La Jolla like a bad odor. The unpleasant smell left by sea lions and birds at La Jolla Cove is again in the news with a judge having decided the city of San Diego is not responsible for solving the problem. The La Jolla Town Council will hold a hearing Thursday on the next steps in the ongoing battle against the smell left by accumulated animal droppings. Steve Haskins, La Jolla Town Council president, said the smell hurts the nearby businesses. “It (the smell) has a lot to do with the direction the wind is going,” Haskins told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, it goes up to Prospect Street where the businesses are located. They say it’s a huge problem for them to keep customers, especially in the outdoor restaurants.” Last month, a Superior Court judge ruled against a group of La Jolla business owners, saying the city doesn't have a duty to control any nuisance caused by wild animals and isn't the cause of the odor. Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement, the group that filed the lawsuit, said it plans to appeal. But Norm Blumenthal, an attorney who represents the group, said the damage has already been done. “It’s adversely impacting their businesses,” Blumenthal said. “We’re noted as the most beautiful city in America that stinks. That’s not a very good reputation. This is an issue of health and safety.” City spokesman Bill Harris said the city has recently contracted with marine mammal expert Doyle and Associates to "explore what conditions exist within this colony of sea lions that may provide alternatives for changing behaviors or otherwise reducing the colony’s impact on the bluffs." Doyle and Associates is expected to deliver a preliminary report in a few months. The city also plans to continue the application of a microbial spray until a more permanent solution is found, Harris said. The hearing is open to the public and will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday at the La Jolla Recreation Center at 615 Prospect St. Please stay on topic and be as concise as possible. Leaving a comment means you agree to our Community Discussion Rules. We like civilized discourse. We don't like spam, lying, profanity, harassment or personal attacks.

East Bay residents report mysterious gas odor

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is looking into a mysterious gas odor that prompted numerous calls from concerned residents in Contra Costa County on Monday morning. Starting around 9 a.m., the utility began fielding calls from the public reporting the smell of natural gas along the Highway 24 and Interstate 680 corridors, said Tamar Sarkissian, a PG&E spokeswoman. Crews were dispatched to each caller’s locations with testing equipment, but found no evidence of natural gas, Sarkissian said. The calls tapered off, she said, with the last reports coming in around 10:30 a.m. Investigators were looking into what could have caused the odor, but it did not appear that a gas leak was the culprit, she said.