(MURFREESBORO)  The ongoing story of "tracking the smells of Murfreesboro" continues. In response to odor reports received, the team at Middle Point Landfill has been mapping and collecting data on all actionable reports to identify potential sources of odor in the community.

Data collected over the past six weeks has indicated an increase in odor reports from distances of three miles or greater from the Landfill or clustered near other potential odor sources, such as agricultural operations, sewage lift stations and others. Industry and technical expertise have shown reports of potential off-site odor originating from greater than three miles or in opposite wind directions from the site are likely attributable to other sources.

Of the 107 odor concerns received in the last week, 54% were either submitted from distances of three miles or greater or were reported from locations that were in the opposite wind direction from the site on that day. This week, of reports that included enough timely, specific location information to follow up, 28 were potentially attributable to on-site operations at the Landfill.

“We are glad to see that the data is starting to help bring the community answers about the sources of odor,” said Jeremy Jernigan, general manager of Middle Point Landfill. “The community has really stepped up in submitting odor concerns, and the data from those reports has already helped to eliminate potential on-site odor sources. We are working quickly to do our part to help reduce the potential for off-site odor from our facility.”

With infrastructure updates underway, the Middle Point Landfill team has worked quickly to install new or replace gas wells at the site. 26 – of the originally planned 30 – new or replacement gas wells have been installed to date, and the team is on track to complete the project by Thanksgiving.

The community is encouraged to continue reporting any odors in as close to real time as possible to the landfill team via the Middle Point website at https://middlepointlandfill.com/. 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])