ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — Some people in the central part of St. Johns County say they are dealing with a stinky situation.
Last summer, First Coast News reported on a story about one woman who said her neighborhood along Carter Road off County Road 214 has a foul smell.
Tuesday, a different group of people in a nearby neighborhood had the same complaints. They took those concerns to the St. Johns County Commission Tuesday morning.
Linda Hansen described the odor, "it smells foul. It’s worse than human feces or stagnant water."
"I had to shut the window it smells so bad," Jessie Fox said.
His wife, Joy, told First Coast News, "It's a smell that would smack you in your face."
They live in the Morgan’s Cove neighborhood off of CR 214, near the interstate. They and other neighbors are tired of the odor they smell in their neighborhood.
Hansen said the smell makes her feel "nauseated. It shouldn't be affecting our lives like this."
Mr. Fox also is concerned about his family's health as well as his property value. "It is a bit emotional for me. This is the first house I've eve bought."
His wife, Joy, said the smell would "go away for a couple days, a week or two, and then it stared happening again at night."
Hansen has contacted state agencies with her concerns. She, the Foxes, and others believe the odor is coming from Indianhead Biomass Services which is less than a mile away. It’s a company that takes treated human waste and mixes it with organic material to make composting dirt.
After speaking at the St. Johns County commission meeting, Hansen she received an email from someone at Indianhead Biomass Services, inviting her to see the facility.
"What Indianhead is doing is so great," Heather Lane Neville said. She has done land planning and contract work for Indianhead. She believes in what the company is doing.
Indianhead Biomass Services was spotlighted for its work at a national composting convention earlier this month.
Regarding the odor some neighbors smell, Neville said, "I don’t think these people aren't smelling something. I just don’t think it’s Indianhead."
Tuesday afternoon, when First Coast News was in the Morgan's Cove neighborhood, there usually was no foul odor. However, every once in a while, with a breeze, there was a strong smell which could be compared to porta pottie.
ccording a letter from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to Indianhead Biomass Services this past fall, the agency sent investigators to check on the 70 odor complaints it had received about Indianhead. The DEP letter said odor was detected some of the time but not all the time.
It appears the DEP told Indianhead it needed to work on odor control.
Neville said actions had been taken since that letter. "To my knowledge, yes. We're in compliance. We’re doing several things. There are bio filters which is putting wood chips on top. We're putting an attenuation wall that we're putting in and constructing. And we're also installed a windsock."
Neville said when complaints come in, she or someone from Indianhead will try to learn more about the complaint.
"It can be hot, cold, the wind is blowing from whatever direction, and they're (those who complain about an odor) are saying, 'It's Indianhead.' And I'll drive out to the neighborhood, and I don't smell it."
She said there are other things in the area that could cause odors, such as a waste water treatment plant, a bio land site, the swamp or construction.
Neville told First Coast News she has reached out to a neighbor who has concerns about the odor.
Neighbors such as Jesse Fox still believe the odor is from Indianhead, and want someone to do something about it.
"If you vote Republican, we will allow you to compost human beings in St. Johns County for all we care. Otherwise, we wouldn't even let you relocate a multi billion dollar business here." - SJC GOP
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