NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — 2 On Your Side continues to ask questions on what’s being done in Niagara Falls in getting a paper mill plant to stop emitting an awful odor that can be smelled in nearby neighborhoods.
"It’s like a foul odor, you could have your windows rolled all the way up and it comes right through the car it’s like a foul egg odor," said Darnell Bones, a Niagara Falls resident.
It’s been a smelly start to the summer for many residents in Niagara Falls who live near Cascades Containerboard on Packard Road. Instead of enjoying the sun, their neighborhood at times smells like a garbage dump.
"I had people come from out of town and they can really pick up the smell and what do you tell them? I tell them it’s from the plant that’s all that you can say," Bones said.
Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hit Cascades with a notice of violation. Since then, the state says the company has made numerous changes like adding equipment to reduce the smell and has promised to haul sludge daily off-site.
But the stench remains and can usually be smelled at night.
Cascades says the smell is not harmful.
And the state now says the smell is coming from malfunctioning reactors in the company’s wastewater treatment plant. It’s possible Cascades could divert water to the Niagara Falls Water Board.
On Tuesday, we asked the water board whether that will happen.
"We can accept maybe 75-80 percent of their water, but we need a green light from New York Department of Environmental Conservation," said Dr. Abderrahman Zehraoui, the executive director of the Niagara Falls Water Board. "If what they have is not treated and is not sent to us they will get more sludge and more odors."
The water board says fixing this issue won’t be quick.
"They need time for acclimation, but maybe it takes three months or more," Zehraoui said.
As for enforcement, 2 On Your Side asked Niagara Falls Mayor Rob Restaino, "Is there any type of city enforcement that you expect or you would have implemented?"
Restaino responded, "I would think that the state’s enforcement is the proper vehicle."
2 On Your Side has filed a public records request to get the DEC’s full investigation into the odor complaints related to Cascades.
A spokesperson for Cascades says the company has delivered mailers to 32,000 homes in Niagara Falls and the Town of Niagara explaining the problems here. The company could not give us a timeline on when the odor issues will be fixed.
The DEC issued the following statement:
"DEC staff have conducted thorough inspections of operations at Cascades Containerboard Packaging, Inc., to identify and address sources of the noxious odors and ensure the facility is complying with the Notice of Violation issued on June 3. During recent inspections, additional sources of odor beyond the secondary sludge were identified and Cascades is working to address these issues. DEC takes air quality seriously and is continuing our aggressive oversight to ensure it remains in compliance with the NOV and immediately identifies and implements additional measures to address the noxious odors at its facility. DEC’s investigation is ongoing and additional enforcement actions are expected, and should the facility not come into compliance, DEC is prepared to use all legal and regulatory tools available to hold this facility accountable."