Source: The Free Press

Originally published: Aug 9, 2017

WASECA ― The Birds Eye wastewater treatment facility is responding to concerns from residents about a bad smell coming from the facility just south of the city of Waseca.

Waseca County staff said they heard complaints from residents on social media over the last few days about the smell from the vegetable processor’s facility. To solve the problem, Waseca County Planning and Zoning staff are working with Birds Eye officials to mitigate the smell, said Waseca County Administrator Jessica Beyer.

In a written statement, Birds Eye Environmental Supervisor Clark Minks said his team is working to fix the issue and plans to use hydrogen peroxide to treat one of the facility’s ponds Thursday.

The 8 million gallon treatment looks to be “the best method we can do,” Minks said in the release.

The hydrogen peroxide treatment was approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency earlier this week, said Teresa Roth, MPCA wastewater compliance and enforcement. The company is waiting for approval from the MPCA to use another deodorizing chemical, too, Roth said.

The company’s wastewater treatment facility was built less than a year ago and had similar issues with smell after heavy rains last fall, Beyer said.

“We know that Birds Eye is a big part of the Waseca community,” Beyer said. “They have already invested a lot of money into mitigating the smell from the wastewater treatment facility since it was built.”

Waseca County officials are asking that residents be patient as the matter is addressed.

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