I’ve asked before several times about the putrid compost smell that invades Gilroy’s west side around 8 PM at least along Santa Teresa Blvd., from Longmeadow Drive south back
towards Hollister where the smell comes from. Why at night? Everyone is usually indoors so nobody complains? Makes sense I suppose, but it really makes our evenings stink. Any way of changing this situation?
Red Phone:
There is something “rotten in the state of Denmark,” said Marcellus (Shakespeare’s Hamlet). Actually, good caller, it’s not Denmark in this case, but Gilroy. Red Phone did some research and found a possible solution to these odiferous smells.
Red Phone’s investigation first led to Gilroy’s Planning Division Manager, Sue Martin. Martin said, “I don’t recollect any permits issued in Gilroy that allowed odorous users since I’ve been here. Every business in the city must have a valid/current business license issued by the City of Gilroy. If there are odor concerns, depending on the business and operation, they may be required to comply with Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) regulations.”
So, Red Phone contacted BAAQMD to find out what they could do. According to BAAQMD, anyone can register an air pollution complaint by calling 1-800-334-6367 or by filing an online complaint athttp://www.baaqmd.gov. This can be made anonymously, or if you provide contact information, you will receive a follow-up call.
It would help if you know the source of the odors, but it’s not necessary. Once the complaint is submitted, BAAQMD will send out an inspector as quickly as possible. Inspectors are continuously on patrol, so response times are minimized.
BAAQMD has found recently that companies that manufacture compost, where there have been complaints, may not be watering down the compost as much because of the drought. Red Phone found that South Valley Recology operates a compost manufacturing facility in south Gilroy, and there are several mushroom-growing companies in the Gilroy-San Martin area.
However, good caller, you may be out of luck if the odors come from agricultural operations such as crop growing and livestock raising, because they are exempt from air pollution regulations.
So, good caller, when your nose smells something rotten in the air, contact BAAQMD immediately, and just maybe, you will eventually experience the sweet smell of the country, once again.
