Mudslide Officials find source of bad odor lingering in Louisville, Kentucky = GEOSMIN

[NC Susan]

Officials find source of bad odor lingering in Louisville, Kentucky

<time itemprop="datePublished" pubdate="" datetime="2015-03-03T06:45-05:00">http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/0...ce-bad-odor-lingering-in-louisville-kentucky/

March 03, 2015</time>Associated Press



Louisville Kentucky Officials find Source of the Bad Odor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Officials with Louisville's Metro Air Pollution Control District say they've identified the source of the bad odor that residents have been complaining about for a week.
The agency told news outlets a naturally occurring chemical in the soil called geosmin is to blame for a musty, mildew-like smell that has led to dozens of complaints.

Air district spokesman Tom Nord said the chemical has a low odor threshold and has been "exacerbated by the wet, muddy conditions in the wake of the recent snowfall and rain."
Nord said the smell is not toxic and isn't coming from industrial sites. He said the Louisville Water Company has dealt with geosmin previously and told the pollution control district that it might be to blame.

 

[NC Susan]

http://www.14news.com/story/28241847/culprit-causing-a-stink-in-louisville-discovered

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - It's a stench surrounding Louisville that no one could seem to figure out. Hundreds of viewers told us it smells like wet carpet, a majority said it smelled like mildew.
Crews from the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, the city's self-proclaimed odor police, drove around town trying to track down the stench last week. They checked the landfill, airport and nearby industries like the Ford plant.


[PREVIOUS STORY: City investigates strange smell lingering over Louisville]


Then the APCD got a tip from scientists at the Louisville Water Company. Their special training on tastes and odors, led them to blame geosmin.
APCD spokesman Thomas Nord said geosmin occurs naturally and is non-toxic;
known as "earth's odor" it's what makes dirt smell like dirt. It is made up micro-organisms or bacteria living in the soil and decaying matter.
The APCD said the recent snowfall is to blame.
"The snow and then we have the thaw, and then we had the re-freeze and then we had the thaw. And that's kind of what triggers it. So, that's kind of been the common denominator order," Nord said.
Geosmin can be sniffed out at five parts per trillion, a Louisville Water spokesperson said.
It's been credited as a biological tool to help humans and animals find water.
A spokesperson there said they do not have an issue with geosmin in the water.
Nord says there is not much anyone can do about it other than hope conditions dry out.
The smell appears to be stronger in some areas than others. Nord did not know why for sure, but believes it may be related to the area's geography or drainage system.
Copyright 2015 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.

 

[NC Susan]

http://www.wave3.com/story/28233611/city-investigates-strange-smell-lingering-over-louisville

City investigates strange smell lingering over Louisville



LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A mystery surrounds Louisville of really stinky proportions.
"It smells real nasty," Louisville resident, Patricia Reynolds said.
"It's this awful smell," Arric Fenwick described.
Since Tuesday, we've been on the phone with the city. They've got dozens of complaints and are now trying to sniff out the culprit, literally.
"Our nose is our best equipment," Matt King, the engineering manager at the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, said. "We go out and search for it the old fashion way."
For the past week, King's crew has been driving all over town searching for the stench.
"East to west, north to south,” King explained. “So we are really confused as to where it's coming from."
The smell can be detected near I-65 and the Snyder, near the airport.
So what does it smell like?
"It smells like burnt oil," Fenwick described.
"It doesn't smell like sewage," another man added.
"It smells out of the ordinary," Caroline Bonille explained.
Patricia Reynolds described the smell the same way many of our viewers did on our Facebook page.
"It smells like mildew," she said.
Matt King is leaning towards blaming the weather because of the large amount of snow and water.
But that's still just a theory. The same goes for the sewers, the dump and nearby industries they're checking out.
None have been ruled out yet, but city crews promise to keep their noses to the ground.
"Hopefully they'll find out what it is so they can get rid of the smell because it smells terrible," Reynolds said.
Thomas Nord, communications specialist with APCD, says they do not believe the smell to be toxic. He said he hoped to have more information this coming week.


If you would like to report a smell near your home or work, you can follow this link:
louisvilleky.gov/government/air-pollution-control-district/services/report-bad-smell
Copyright 2015 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.