Marina wants waste district to fund an investigation into what makes the city stink.

After nearly eight years and dozens upon dozens of complaints about foul odors, Marina is tackling the issue of smells that occasionally flare up in north Marina neighborhoods.

Marina is surrounded by several industrial operations that generate odors, including the landfill and compost operations of Monterey Regional Waste Management District, Monterey One Water’s treatment plant and nearby agricultural fields.

From 2018 to 2020, the Monterey Bay Air Resources District received 74 complaints about foul odors in Marina. Air Pollution Control Officer Richard Stedman says officials would respond, but in most cases the odors were gone by the time staff arrived.

In the past few months, Stedman says the district has received complaints about the stench of hydrogen sulfide gas. “That’s usually associated with the disposal of wallboard, believe it or not, so that’s construction debris,” he says.

The different waste treatment facilities located in the city, plus constant wind and weather changes, make it difficult to pinpoint the source. “It usually has to be associated with certain compounds so you can get a concentration,” Stedman says. “It’s very tough to identify where the specific odors are coming from.”

Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado says complaints started when strawberry fields started to operate near Marina. Cristina Medina Dirksen, a councilmember who lives near Windy Hill park and ag fields, says she’s noticed it for at least two years. “Everybody’s trash comes to Marina,” she says. “People in other districts, they don’t smell it,” she adds.

Various agencies point fingers at each other. Delgado says they need to hire a third party to start a study and find the origin.

Once results come in, he expects the agencies and the city can work together to reduce odors. Delgado estimates the research will cost at least $150,00, (mainly funded by MRWMD).

On Jan. 22, the MRWMD board will discuss a new lease for Keith Day Co., the company in charge of composting operations, possibly switching from a year-to-year contract to a two-year contract. At that meeting, Delgado will advocate to modify the MRWMD budget and include funds for the odor research to start it right away.

A community meeting via Zoom follows (at 6:30pm Wednesday, Jan. 27) with presentations by agencies including MRWMD, M1W, Environmental Health, MBARD and growers.