Officials commit to solving odor issue

Foothills residents blame Far West at Tuesday night meeting

In an overflowing church auditorium Tuesday night, hundreds of Foothills residents turned out to complain of foul odors filling the evening air in their neighborhoods. They were hoping for a solution that will finally put an end to the long-running problem.

What they got was a commitment from county and state officials who promised to send inspectors and start a monitoring program to gather data and track down the source of the smells.

Most residents blame the Far West Water and Sewer Co.’s treatment plants and lift stations locat- ed throughout the Foothills area. Some believe development has outpaced the facility’s capacity, causing the problems.

Andy Capestro, manager of Far West, was in attendance and promised to collaborate with officials and do whatever it takes to get rid of the foul odors. Constantly interrupted by angry outbursts, he was eventually able to say he had hired Miles Chemical Co. to help come up with a solution. Don Osborne of Miles Chemical said he was determined to find a solution and would collaborate and share data with county and state officials.

However, many attendees — the vast majority winter visitors — were skeptical and noted similar promises had been made in the past. They demanded accountability and a timeline.

ADEQ officials noted they couldn’t give a specific time frame, but said they could send an inspector as soon as Thursday. They will also monitor the air for five days as part of the first phase of the investigation. They promised to keep the residents informed of their progress.

Yuma County Supervisor Darren Simmons, whose district includes the Foothills, organized the meeting and invited Phoenixbased officials both from the air and water divisions of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, including Tim Franquist, director of Air Quality Division; Jamie Abbott, program coordinator; Dave Dunaway, value stream manager in the Water Quality Division; and ADEQ’s Yuma liaison, Jaime Hernandez.

Also in attendance were several Yuma County officials, including Diana Gomez, director of the Public Health Services District, Craig

— Darren Simmons, Yuma County supervisor

Sellers, director of Development Services; and Senior Sanitarian George Amaya.

Simmons said the purpose of the meeting was to get the “right people here to listen to the issues” and get them to do something.

“Hopefully we’ll get some answers and some solutions as far as the smell. It’s been going on way too far,” he told the Yuma Sun before the emotionally charged meeting began.

Simmons said he has gotten “tons” of phone calls on the smell, more than any other issue, and had driven around the area himself. “There’s no doubt in my mind. There’s a smell issue,” he said.

“Hopefully we can get it fixed while I’m supervisor. That’s my goal.”

“Hopefully we can get it fixed while I’m supervisor. That’s my goal.”

The officials did not need convincing that there is an odor problem. “It’s pretty obvious there is a problem,” Dunaway said, noting the turnout as proof. “You have my commitment that we take this seriously.”

To better document the issue and help track down the source of the smell, he pleaded with attendees to fill out a complaint form on the bottom of the azdeq. gov webpage. The link will also be on the Yuma County

website: yumacountyaz.gov. Printed forms will be available at the Foothills library.

Officials asked for specific details, including when and where residents smell the foul odors and if they suffer from any physical problems that could be related to them. Some attendees said they suffer from burning eyes, breathing difficulties and aggravation of autoimmune diseases.

Several people noted that the odor smells like hydrogen sulfide, a hazardous gas that typically smells like rotten eggs. Franquist said that hydrogen sulfide can be

dangerous.

Some people asked why it’s taken so long for officials to address the issue. Franquist said that his team just became aware of the problem. The crowd reacted with skepticism. Some people also expressed anger that a fee increase a few years ago did not bring about improvements.

If someone needs help filling out a complaint form or for help in reaching ADEQ officials, contact Hernandez, ADEQ liaison in Yuma, at the county’s Development Services, 2351 W. 26th St., or (928) 817-5174.