Odor complaints addressed at recent Public Works meeting
Mayor Buckley: “H.P. Hood needs to remedy the problem at once”
During the October meeting of the Hornell Board of Public works Superintendent Mitch Cornish reported that City Hall has received many citizen complaints of foul odors coming from the sewers in Hornell, recently. Mayor John Buckley added that he had to send the staff at City Hall home last week to get relief from the noxious fumes inside the building coming from the same sewer gas problem.
WPCP plant Chief Operator Rich Dunning told the Board that the Hornell sewage plant was being bombarded by massive dumps of organics from H.P.Hood. Maintenance Manager at H.P.Hood Mr. Harley May told Mr. Dunning that the chemical cleaners used in their production plant had caused a toxic shock to the bacteria in the Dairy Plant’s wastewater treatment facility. When this happens, organic matter flows to the sewer and generates the odiferous condition. We have tried to work with H.P.Hood staff to fix the problem. We have even fined them when these chronic slug loads of dairy waste exceed the H.P. Hood sewer use agreement.
Mr. Dunning reported further that H.P. Hood management has told him that they intend to change chemical suppliers and will soon install a pH control system to decrease the number of toxic shocks to their treatment system. Dunning added “This can’t happen soon enough, people are really upset.”
Mayor Buckley also said, “The foul odors emanating from the sewer system adversely affect the quality of life of residents. H.P. Hood needs to remedy the problem at once. The City’s Water Pollution Control Plant continues to be negatively impacted by operations at the H.P. Hood facility.
