Citizens complain of persistent burning odors in town

For months, citizens have been remarking on the sour smoky odor noticeable in town. The smoky smell is particularly apparent in the early morning hours when the inversion layer is in effect. A temperature inversion layer prevents the air below it from rising, trapping any pollutants or odors that are present. Multiple community members have contacted Fire District #2, as well as City Hall, and Walla Walla County officials about the odors.

When asked about the issue, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe noted, "from what I understand, it is essentially a rotting pile of peas that have gotten wet; because they have gotten wet, they have started to compost, so it is creating heat. That heat has obviously caught them on fire, and the property owner has not been doing a very good job of putting them out."

The property with the burning pea pile is located outside the city limits.

A call to the Department of Ecology revealed that the office has been made aware of the issue, and that they have contacted the city, the county, and Fire District #2. Fire officials at District #2 are working with the landowner to ameliorate the problem.

Other persistent smoke odors have raised questions about the possibility of residents burning garbage. Walla Walla County restricts burning to the following:

Only natural vegetation can be burned in ANY outdoor fire.

Someone must be monitoring the fire at all times with a water source available significant to control the burn.

If any fire creates a public safety hazard, nuisance or interferes with the right of a person to enjoy their property, it must be extinguished immediately.

According to a Department of Natural Resources website, the impacts of smoke from burning trash and plastic, can be significant and cause long-term health problems:

"The toxic chemicals released during burning include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and polycyclic organic matter (POMs). Burning plastic and treated wood also releases heavy metals and toxic chemicals, such as dioxin.

Other chemicals released while burning plastic include benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have both been shown to cause cancer. If agricultural bags or containers are contaminated with pesticides or other harmful substances, those will also be released into the air.

People exposed to these air pollutants can experience eye and nose irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing and headaches. People with heart disease, asthma, emphysema or other respiratory diseases are especially sensitive to air pollutants. Other health problems aggravated by burning include lung infections, pneumonia, bronchiolitis and allergies."

Hinchliffe noted that reporting on and preventing a resident from burning their trash "can be a long drawn out process because it's a violation of a (city) public nuisance ordinance and that process can take up to a month" (to resolve).

"Typically, if they don't comply, our process is to threaten them with utility disconnection," Hinchliffe noted. "We have a nice letter that we send them first," he said.

"We have not turned off anybody's water, because threatening them is typically enough." Hinchliffe continued.

Waitsburg citizens are encouraged to call the fire department if they smell smoke, the Fire District will send someone out to investigate.

At the start of this year, the City of Waitsburg shifted billing for garbage disposal directly to contractor Basin Disposal Inc. (BDI), as billing for the service through City Hall was not cost effective, according to Hinchliffe. Citizens cannot opt out of the service, "It's supposed to be all or nothing," Hinchliffe said, and is tied to the other utilities the City offers. However, "We don't keep track of it, so if someone called and said, 'I don't want garbage (service) anymore,' it's between them (the citizen) and BDI," said Hinchliffe.

Waitsburg residents are encouraged to continue contracting for garbage service and to be mindful of the laws and health hazards related to burning trash or other items.