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Source of odour remains elusive

Alberta Environment and Water is still working to identify the cause of an odour coming from a business at Kuusamo Industrial Park west of Sylvan Lake.

Alberta Environment and Water is still working to identify the cause of an odour coming from a business at Kuusamo Industrial Park west of Sylvan Lake.

Nearby resident Kris Psiurski said an odour worse than rotten eggs has been a problem since late February, depending on which way the wind is blowing. It was still causing distress to residents as recently as Friday.

Alberta Environment and Water officers have been working with a business, which has not been named, since March 7 to identify the cause of the odour.

“That’s what we’re trying to do right now. That’s our focus, and of course to ensure it’s done in a timely manner,” said Ogho Ikhalo, Alberta Environment and Water spokesperson, on Tuesday.

“We’ve not received any further complaints from the public. If there was odour being experienced last week, we have not been informed of that through our 1-800 phone number.”

Six odour complaints were received previously.

Ikhalo said the department is waiting to receive additional operational information from the company.

Psiurski said the smell was so bad last Friday that her neighbour didn’t want her children breathing the air outside.

“She doesn’t want her kids outside playing when this stuff is blowing in. Everybody has concerns,” Psiurski said.

Psiurski said she was told by Red Deer County that the county sent out a warning letter to the company two weeks ago. But the odour continues.

“Who do you call to get anything done? All the agencies we’ve talked to, nobody seems to be moving to remedy this because the problem is still there.”

The county allowed the industrial park to be developed because it wasn’t suppose to affect residents, she said.

szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com