ADEQ: Quality of air in Foothills rated OK
But hydrogen sulfide levels are higher near sewer plant
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has released results from the air quality testing done in the Foothills area in February on Monday, finding all readings of hydrogen sulfide were below maximum allowable levels, though they were elevated in areas near one of Far West Water and Sewer Co.’s sewer plants.
ADEQ reported that preliminary two-day testing near each of the utility’s seven sewer plants on Feb. 26 and 27 was followed by more intensive five-day testing March 4-9 at six sites located where resident’s complaints were most concentrated.
The federal maximum standard for hydrogen sulfide, a gas produced by decomposing matter that is commonly associated with sewer plants and odors, is 30 parts per billion. The highest reported reading was 18.3 parts per billion, from a spot near Driftwood Drive and 45th Street.
This neighborhood backs up onto Fortuna Wash, and beyond that is the Section 14 plant, about a fifth of a mile away on the Las Barrancas Golf Course. The monitoring equipment used has a margin of error of plus or minus 3, so the high end would still be below the maximum.
“In conclusion, the measured ambient air concentrations of H2S in the service areas of Far West were at levels which would not pose any adverse effects to human health,” the executive summary of the report said.
Far West manager Andy Capestro said Monday he had not seen the report, and did not respond to further requests for comment.
The testing was a response to complaints from the unincorporated area east of Yuma, where residents have long attributed foul odors to Far West’s wastewater treatment facilities.
The next highest reading of 13.45 parts per billion came from farther up the wash, near 32nd Street and Ironwood Drive, followed by 8.67 parts per billion near 49th Street and Driftwood Drive.
A map of the locations where odor complaints had been called in from showed the vast majority were tied to the far southeastern corner of the Foothills area, south of 44th Street and east of Hunter Avenue, which includes the com-
pany’s Section 14 and Marwood treatment plants.
Janell Edgier Iverson, who formed the “Yuma Foothills Sewer Group” Facebook page, said in response to the ADEQ report, “I think what I would say is that we are glad that the hydrogen sulfide we are smelling is not at a dangerous limit. The findings and report did not test for the horrific odor at times, which is what is the concern.”
She said recent posts on the local Nextdoor messaging groups say the odors are still a problem, especially at certain spots including the intersection of County 14th Street and Avenue 14E and 52nd Drive and El Camino Del Diablo.
Iverson also said some Nextdoor subscribers got a message before the testing was conducted that said which days it would be taking place, contrary to locals’ preference for a “surprise” inspection.
Far West has been under increased scrutiny by the state since hundreds of residents attended a February meeting that several ADEQ officials attended to get public feedback about the long-simmering odor issue.
On April 20 the agency issued a consent order requiring Far West to repair four lift stations on its sewer network, where water quality inspectors had found corroded walls, pipes and other infrastructure and/or did not have two functioning pumps as required by state law.
Capestro said at the time that two of the lift stations were to be taken out of service this summer, all pumps had been repaired and one lift station would have to be fixed to address corrosion.
ADEQ spokesperson Erin Jordan said Monday she had no further information on the consent order, and the initial 15-day deadlines of` the order have not passed yet.
Steve Jimenez, who moved to Yuma a year ago from the Portland, Ore., area, said he was appalled by the ADEQ report on the conditions described at some of the lift stations, which are used to transport waste uphill.
“I’ve been in construction my whole life, and I’m just astounded by what I see down here; it’s like I’ve gone back 25 years,” he said.
County Supervisor Darren Simmons, who organized the February meeting that led to the increased oversight, said he was pleased that unhealthy levels of hydrogen sulfide weren’t detected.
“All we can do is just wait and see what happens when they fix their problems at the lift stations, that may have been the issue. But if the smell’s still there, it’s not going to change me trying to get them to come down here and realize there’s an issue,” he said.