Alberta Environment and Water is investigating an odour “worse than rotten eggs” coming from a business at Kuusamo Industrial Park west of Sylvan Lake.
On March 7, environmental officers visited the business, which has not been named, and officers are working with the business to identify what activities could be causing the odour.
Kris Psiurski, who has lived in the area for 17 years, said the odour that’s worse than rotten eggs comes her way when the wind blows south or southwest.
The wind shifted her way again on Wednesday.
“It was bad yesterday,” Psiurski said on Thursday.
“We run a small firewood business on our property and there are certain times when we’re directly in line with it. We can’t have people out there because it smells so bad. You end up with a headache.”
“We really don’t know what we’re breathing. I’ve got a horse outside. I don’t know if it’s going to kill him.
“He’s in it all the time.”
She said the noxious odour has worsened over the last two or three weeks and makes people nauseous.
About a week ago, she called 911 and Sylvan Lake firefighters, the closest fire service, responded and investigated.
Psiurski said a Sylvan fire official told her it wasn’t the first time they were called out because of the odour.
Ogho Ikhaol, spokesperson with Alberta Environment and Water, said her department has received six odour complaints on the 1-800 Environmental Hotline.
“We are currently working with the company in question to determine if the activities that are being conducted are in compliance with our provincial legislation,” Ikhaol said.
Adam Ferguson, corporate communications co-ordinator with Red Deer County, said the county is aware of the odour complaints about Kuusamo Industrial Park and the county’s planning department, along with provincial agencies, are active in investigating the complaints.
Psiurski said she is frustrated that the odour is continuing.
She said zoning for the industrial park specifically states that businesses are not allowed to produce nuisance from noise, odour, heat, earth-borne vibration, intense light sources or dust outside an inclosed building.
“It would seem to me that the county has the right to act on this immediately.”
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com