Friday, Dec. 19, 2008

Something smells rotten in Roanoke

By A. LEE GRAHAM

Foul – sometimes overwhelming – odors in Roanoke could diminish with residents’ help.

At last week’s City Council meeting, Trinity River Authority of Texas officials promised improved air quality. But they are in of a few good sniffers.

"We’re looking at ways to be good neighbors," said Patricia Cleveland, manager of operations with the TRA’s Northern Region.

To that end, officials ask residents to describe what they smell by filling out an odor observation diary. From rotten eggs to ammonia, smells cover a wide range and have become increasingly intolerable for residents near the Texas 114-U.S. 377 intersection.

That’s where the Denton Creek Regional Wastewater plant has operated since 1990. A facility launched to serve Roanoke, Haslet and Fort Worth has added Keller, Southlake, Westlake, Northlake and other communities to its service area.

And that requires expanded capacity, with the plant’s daily wastewater treatment ability expected to grow from the current 5-million gallon volume to 11.5 million by 2010. As more families move into homes surrounding the site, those new Roanoke residents notice something foul in the air.

But that wasn’t the case when the plant first opened.

"The only neighbors we had were the furry, four-pawed neighbors," said Cleveland, naming the Parks at Roanoke as among the residential communities within smelling range.

"It just basically smells like s---, like poop. That is what we’re talking about," said Betty Jordan, a principal with Alan Plummer Associates Inc., the Fort Worth-based environmental engineering firm working with the TRA in minimizing odors emanating from the plant.

"We know you have experienced odors. There’s no denying that," said Jordan, describing a "phased approach" in adding odor-control technology.

"The TRA does want to be a good neighbor," said Jordan, asking residents to help identify what they smell, write down those observations and share the diary forms with the agency.

With that information, officials can do a more effective job in snuffing – or at least minimizing – the smell.

"You are part of the solution," said Jordan, addressing the public at last week’s meeting.

More information is available by contacting Cleveland at the TRA at 817-493-5100.