Odor at reycling plant on Cabazon Reservation stirs neighbors

Monday, March 28, 2011  

A soil-recycling plant is not violating federal air quality laws but nearby residents say they are being sickened by the smell coming from the Cabazon Reservation in southern California.

“You can't be outside for a half-hour, or an hour, because it smells really bad,” Jenny Carillo, who lives in Mecca, told The Palm Springs Desert Sun.

Western Environmental, Inc. operates the plant on the reservation. The company says it's trying to figure out the cause of the odor. “It's been perplexing for everyone involved,” spokesperson Lydia Kremer told the paper.

The plant is located in Indian Country so it's out of state jurisdiction. The Environmental Protection Agency say tests haven't shown anything dangerous or illegal in the air.

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Families sick of fouled air (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 3/28)