By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Morinville – Champion Petfoods released their latest odour reduction update late Tuesday night, a two-page missive that outlines what the company has been working on over the past six weeks and what it plans to do in the coming weeks as it continues to work on reducing odours from the manufacturing plant.
Much of that time has been spent working with global air quality and odour management experts Pinchin Environmental and Buro Blauw to analyze a high-tech odour dispersion model as well as determining a definitive path and specific targets for odour mitigation. Champion says the work included a review of the company’s action plan to significantly reduce odour targets from levels found during baseline testing last December.
“Based on the detailed modeling and technical advice received we continue to implement and monitor key production process changes to stabilize our production processes before we implement the equipment changes later this spring” said Champion President and CEO, Frank Burdzy in the release. “Over the past six weeks we have been implementing a number of steps in our day-to-day production processes to reduce the generation of odour at source with positive but inconsistent results, therefore these process changes must be stabilized so that the required equipment changes can be effectively implemented to provide consistent and sustainable attainment of odour mitigation targets.”
During assessments at the Morinville plant, a number of structural and process changes were identified. Champion says most of the needed technical equipment has been engineered and approved for purchase and word from suppliers indicates the company will remain on target to install the equipment during the spring construction season.
Champion says their next step in the odour reduction plan will be the construction and installation of several pieces of equipment over the next several weeks, including a combination of specially-engineered, cyclones, blowers, air balancing and filtration systems in a number of process areas in the plant. The company says changes will also incorporate modifications to the current drying technology and control monitoring systems used in the drying process. That work is currently underway.
The company says they will be having an open house soon. One was promised prior to Christmas 2011; however, Burdzy said now that the company is making changes that will be visible they are in a better position to move forward with having the public in. That open house is proposed for early June.
Public feedback on Champion’s delays have prompted the Town of Morinville to create a compliance agreement with the manufacturer. That agreement is now under review by Champion’s legal advisers.
The fact that champion has so far achieved inconsistent results is not very surprising. Even less surprising is the fact that it will likely take further analysis. Such footwork has placated the community thus far, why change what works.
We were told by council that the solution to our problems was going to be the community standards bylaw. But a fine of a few hundred bucks to a multi million dollar corporation is laughable. Next will be the compliance agreement? What track record do we have that says that this will be any better? Has council and administration learned from their mistakes?
As for champion, they sure are getting their monies worth out of their spin doctor CEO. Empty promises, months of analysis and two years later I can’t go for a walk down to our wonderful fish and game pond without it smelling like I stuck my head in a dog food bag. We still hear that this spring will solve the problem, but after two years champion has yet to publish a single hard and fast date or public project timelines. Why should they? The status quo is working for them.
So when will I be able to safely open my windows this summer? When will this compliance agreement be in place, and will it be doctored such that no firm end date is placed on champion? When will our small town elected officials realize that they are dealing with a massive corporation, where it is cheaper to hire a full time spin doctor professional or lawyer than actually buying the necessary technology to solve the problem? I only hope that “Spring” doesn’t mean when we see snow on the ground again.
And when will the population demand that Champion gives back appropriately given the impact on the community? When will they be given no other option than to clean up or ship out? Apparently we are supposed to wait quietly yet again.
Maybe this is belaboring the point but when our town starts becoming topic for discussion all over the place because of the STENCH emanating from the dog food plant we have a serious issue. Thankfully we should soon see a resolution to our other big problem in town. When can we see an ACTUAL solution to this one?