City of Moberly reveals plans to address odor complaints

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Moberly has responded to a second warning letter it received on Jan. 11 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources over an odor violation stemming from a wastewater-holding basin, located just off Rollins Street near Highway 63.

On Tuesday, Moberly revealed a list of steps they have taken to try and reduce the smell as well as steps that are planned for the coming weeks.

The city received its first odor violation notice on Nov. 15 .  The DNR gave Moberly until Dec. 29 to submit a plan to reduce the smell. A city spokesman told ABC 17 News in January that animal fat from a nearby meat-processing facility, Swift Prepared Foods, and the ongoing drought over the summer are believed to be causing the odor.

What’s been done

According to Tuesday’s release, 48,000 gallons of grease were removed from the top of the lagoon in December by Ace Pipes. On Jan. 15, Ace Pipes then began cleaning a 2,000-foot sanitation line from “St Charles Ave to East Union Ave then South to the Taylor St. Basin.” Cleaning is expected to be finished "in the week of Feb 9."

On Jan. 24, 9,000 gallons of grease was removed from a pump station on North Morley Street, the release states. The city claims this was due to a failure of JBS Foods' Dissolved Air Flotation unit. The failure caused what the city is describing as a “slug” of grease to enter its wastewater treatment plant for five days.

The following day, Moberly ordered JBS Foods to stop discharging its industrial waste into the city’s system, the release states. They also demanded that all material except sanitary waste be hauled away, hoping it would reduce the grease buildup in the waste basin.

On Monday, Ace Pipe removed all grease from overflow storage tanks at the N. Morley Pump Station. City crews also began removing grease from sanitary lines from basins on Taylor and Rollins Street.

During Moberly’s City Council meeting, officials were expecting to approve the purchase of $81,533 worth of aeration mixers with the hopes that they will help relieve the odor once installed. The aeration mixers are solar-powered, however, a council memo shows that the purchase was an unbudgeted expense.

What’s next

Moberly hopes that these actions will reduce a cap of animal fat that has been floating on top of the basin. On Wednesday, Ace Pipe will begin removing whatever is left of the fat cap, the release states.

The city is also planning to implement bi-weekly inspections of the basin, the release states. Staff will also drain 90% of the contaminated water in the basin and send it to a wastewater treatment facility.

After a few “measurable rainfalls,” Moberly will then refill the basin that doesn’t have a JBS waste material, the release states. An extension to the lines is also expected to be built so JBS can dump its waste into a new location if it meets the requirements of a consent order.

Once the basin is close to normal levels the city will dump 1,400 gallons of Bioxide onto it. On April 24, the city is hoping to install the aeration mixers they purchased to reduce future odors.

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