ST. GEORGE, Utah — A pungent smell of old milk and ice cream waste has been wafting through south St. George for several days, emanating from a Dairy Farmers of America facility that neighbors say has been causing similar problems for years.
The current incident has prompted city officials to take enforcement action after initially indicating they would take a hands-off approach similar to previous occurrences.
Workers and residents near the dairy plant say while odor problems have persisted for years, the current situation is the worst they've experienced. The smell has spread far enough to reach Mayor Michele Randall's home in Bloomington Hills.
"I'm like, we have to escalate this. This is ridiculous. I live in Bloomington Hills. It was awful. I've never smelled it at my house before," Randall said.
The city has given the facility 10 days to come into compliance or face escalated enforcement measures.
"Code enforcement has given them 10 days to come into compliance or it will be escalated from there. Because this just can't happen," Randall said.
A similar incident occurred in August 2017, when city officials said plant managers were being prompt in addressing the issue and chose not to impose sanctions. Initially on Wednesday, a city spokesperson gave a similar statement regarding the current situation.
The source of the odor stems from waste tanks at the plant that store discarded milk and whey left over from ice cream and dairy product manufacturing. These materials are treated before entering the sewer system.
Typically, chemicals are used to reduce odors and prevent the tanks from overflowing. However, due to personnel changes at the facility, this process has not been maintained for weeks, according to city and other sources.
