DES MOINES (Iowa) — Downtown Des Moines has been transformed by trendy shops, new apartments and microbreweries in the last decade. It can sometimes be difficult to reconcile the distant past with the present.
One strong reminder of the city’s history is the stench. The stench of rancid meat is a constant reminder of the region’s past as a center for pork processing.
Brandon Brown, president and CEO of the Des Moines Downtown Neighborhood Association said, “You can’t escape from it,” calling it “very frustrating.”
Many cities are eager to attract new investment and vitality. However, many have rejected the idea of urban housing and entertainment venues in older areas that once housed grittier businesses.
Des Moines officials have begun a thorough study to determine if there are any regulations that could be put in place to make sure the air is clean after decades of downplaying the problem or simply ignoring it.
Similar problems are also occurring in cities that have stale businesses, particularly rendering plants that are commonly found in large cities and agricultural areas. Residents are filing complaints against officials and filing lawsuits. Meanwhile, some of the world’s most prominent companies are closing down, installing new equipment, paying their neighbors, or even closing.
Although no one keeps track of such disputes, Jacek Koziel from Iowa State University, who studies air quality as well as livestock odors, suggested that he believes there may be an increase in these conflicts. Sometimes it’s because people are more sensitive to bad smells like in Des Moines. But in other places, residents are pushing for better changes.
Koziel stated, “It’s quite common at this juncture in animal agriculture in general as well as meat packing plants and feed processing plants.” It’s extremely difficult. Engineers know that there are technologies that can minimize the impact, but it also comes with all the financial realities.
Des Moines residents and workers have complained for decades about the smells emanating from an industrial area less than a mile away from downtown. They described the smell as “yeasty” or similar to animal waste. Brown is more compassionate and calls the smell “yeasty.”
Two companies are often blamed by people: Pine Ridge Farms, a pork processor, and Darling Ingredients, a rendering plant. Although the city established an odor hotline and a odor board, these efforts proved ineffective. However, people moved into high-end apartments after they were replaced by warehouses and scrap yards and complained about nauseating smells that settled over their neighbourhoods.
Officials in the city agree that there is a problem but need more information before they can decide what to do.
SuAnn Donovan is deputy director of Des Miines’ Neighborhood Services department. She stated, “You have to know the truth and make the plans work for each industry.” The new study will collect air samples to establish a baseline for quality.
Iowa is an agricultural powerhouse, and Donovan quickly notes that the city is open to working with Pine Ridge and Darling.
Darling did not respond to an inquiry regarding its Des Moines operations.
Smithfield, a meat industry giant, owns Pine Ridge Farms. It stated in a statement, that the pork plant at Pine Ridge Farms, which employs approximately 1,000 people, was established in 1937 and currently slaughters around 4,000 hogs per day. The company stated that it invested millions in new technology to reduce odors as more people moved near the farm.
The statement stated that “we also follow a strict daily cleaning schedule during each production run.” To keep odors to a minimum, we do a deep cleaning from top to bottom at the end of every week.”
Even though there are many ways to reduce the smells of rendering, it is still a very pungent business. Plants use heat, centrifuges, and other methods to transform animal tissue into fats or proteins that can be used for animal feed, fertilizer, and cosmetics. According to recent estimates, there are more than 200 plants in America and Canada.
Fresno, California citizens filed a lawsuit against Darling’s rendering plant. Residents complained about the strong stench. The company closed the plant last year. Another nearby rendering plant, Rancho Cordova, which had been in operation for over 50 years, decided to close its doors after it was determined that it could not coexist with the new housing.
Los Angeles’ rendering plants have been required to comply with new regulations. In Denver, a city that has seen a lot of new urban development, there have been many clashes with old industries.
Greg Thomas, director of environmental quality in the city, stated that “people moving in are smart and they don’t fear to complain.”
South St. Paul residents filed a class-action lawsuit against a rendering plant for fumes. Neighbors received $1,000 as part of a settlement worth $750,000.
There are still strong odors of rancid food.
Chris Robinson, who lives less that a mile away from the plant, said “The lawsuit didn’t seem to make any difference.” “Just last night my husband couldn’t sit on the deck. It’s still very bad.”
Brown of Des Moines said that the city is unable to clean the air with all the outdoor projects in progress, including a soccer stadium and a whitewater-rafting course.
Brown stated, “You don’t want the scent to contaminate your experience.
