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~ Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ..p- ~ ~ - 17 - AQ Doc. # 2.05 March 1998 Facts about Odors, Noise, and Dust for Local Governments A citizen has called your city or town office to complain about a nauseating odor, or dust coming from a local road or business. Or perhaps the complaint is about noises that interrupt sleep or conversations. What do you do? Sometimes you call the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) or you direct your resident to call the MPCA instead. This fact sheet is designed to let you know what you can expect from the MPCA in these situations and suggest steps you can take when you receive such complaints. Odors A high percentage of the air pollution complaints the MPCA receives involve odors. Not only can unpleasant odors spoil residents' enjoyment of the outdoors and seep into their houses to disturb their home environments, but a persistent unpleasant odor can raise concerns about health effects. Even odors that have no real physical effects on the human body can cause temporary nausea and headaches if they are strong enough or unpleasant enough. We have all had the experience of smelling something that has "made us sick." The MPCA is concerned about odors. However, the MPCA's odor rule has been repealed, because it was difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. Odor problems are generally not constant. Odors travel, linger, Here's what we recommend you do when you receive a citizen complaint about an odor: 1. Detennine the probable source of the odor. 2. Detennine whether the odors should be considered nuisances or whether they may indicate the release of toxic air pollutants. The MPCA can help you here. If the source has an MPCA pennit, agency staff may be able to suggest possible cause of the odorous emissions. In any case, if the emissions may be toxic, the MPCA wants to know about it for our enforcement records, and so that it can consider the need for emission control measures in future permits. 3. Document the complaint. City and town records of citizen complaints can be of value to the MPCA for enforcement purposes and will also be useful to you if you choose to enforce against the source. Items to document include weather conditions and time, duration, and description of the odor. 4. If you receive many complaints about a local source of odors that cannot be regulated as a toxic air pollutant, decide whether or not to handle the problem under your nuisance ordinance or advise the complainant to take legal action as an affected individual. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Rd. N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 (651)296-6300, toll-free 800-657-3864, TDD/TIY (651)282-5332 Upon request, this material can be made available in alternative formats.