(MURFREESBORO) Murfreesboro residents continue to report strange smells in various sections of the city. The City of Murfreesboro along with Republic Services are both attempting to determine the source of the odors.
Middle Point Landfill’s General Manager Jeremy Jernigan reports that the team at Middle Point continues to investigate and map odor reports in an effort to provide insight into sources of odor in the Murfreesboro community. Investigations by the on-site team have identified several reporting clusters related to both on- and off-site sources.
Jernigan notes, “We’re grateful for the community and the part they’ve played in identifying sources and reporting odors in real time. Each report is another data point, site team have identified several reporting clusters related to both on- and off-site sources.”
He continued, “We’re grateful for the community and the part they’ve played in identifying sources and reporting odors in real time. Each report is another data point, helping to eliminate potential on-site sources and confirm assumptions about off-site sources. We know this has been a frustrating time for the community; but your participation has helped identify an increase in off-site sources such as sewer systems, agriculture and more.”
Over the last week, Middle Point received 159 potential off-site odor reports with enough information to follow up on. Of those, 97 were logged from a distance greater than three miles. Based on weather data and landfill industry expertise, reports of odor three miles or further from a suspected source are more likely attributable to an alternative odor source. This week, of the reports that included enough, timely information for investigation, nine were potentially attributable to on-site operations.
In addition, this week, the Middle Point team completed installation of 13 – of the planned 30 – new or replacement gas wells. The team is working at an accelerated pace to complete this project as quickly as possible.
The community is encouraged to continue reporting any odors in as close to real time as possible with the landfill team via the Middle Point website at https://middlepointlandfill.com/. These reports are integral to determining potential sources and finding solutions. When submitting a report, please include:
- Location (specific address, cross streets or landmark) where odor is detected
- Time of day when odor is detected
- Weather or wind conditions at the time
- Identifying any other potential sources or infrastructure in the vicinity
- Description of the type of odor detected (sewer, trash, gas or other)
- Potency of the odor detected (from 1 [barely detectable] to 5 [high])