NEBRASKA CITY -  Public complaints about odor at the Cargill plant in Nebraska City  continued to be aired at Monday’s city council meeting, where Mayor Bryan Bequette defended Cargill’s integrity in finding solutions to the public nuisance.

Fourth Corso resident Duane Stuhr said Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy documents show over 400 communications between the state and Cargill about the Nebraska City plant and 40 percent are in the last five years, after Coronavirus pandemic cleaning measures disrupted biological agents necessary in the wastewater control system.

Stuhr: “I’m not attacking individuals here. As a representative of the community, we want the problem fixed.”

Mayor Bequette said the number of interactions is not an indicator that Cargill is not working toward a solution.

Bequette: “So far I have not had the feeling that they are not being honest with us. And, on their long-term solutions, they continue to get designs and contractors to fix it, so that – just as you said, we’re not hear four years from now. That is going to be a $20 to $30 million capital investment in our plant to keep the plant here.”

 

Stuhr said the entries include an incident in June when a temporary PVC pipe was used to bypass a clogged pipe between a lift station and an aerobic lagoon. He said the area was contaminated when the PVC pipe broke and the state asked Cargill if it notified Nebraska City about expected odor. Stuhr said he was not aware the incident happened and received no verbal response when he asked city commissioners if they had been notified.

Bequette said he does not feel the integrity of Cargill is in question. He said progress is being made at the lagoon, that Cargill continues to haul in biologicals to boost the Nebraska City treatment system and Cargill consults with experts on long-term solutions.

He expects the company to know within the next couple of months whether its efforts will suffice, or if it will have to remove the tarp and clean the lagoon. There was a reaction from attendees when he said removing the tarp could re-set the timetable for a solution more than a year out.

 

 

The mayor asked City physician Dr. Bradley Vasa to look into residents’ complaints of headache and nausea.

Dr. Vasa told the mayor that while the odor is bothersome, it’s not what would be considered a public health risk.

Bequette: “But he is not saying that it can’t cause … the smell and the odor itself can cause nausea, headaches and all that, but, as far as being a chemical health hazard, it’s not rising to that level.”

Parks Commissioner Patrick Wehling backed Mayor Bequette on questions pertaining to fining Cargill for a violation of the city’s nuisance ordinance.

Wehling offered support for the mayor’s commitment to working with Cargill toward a positive outcome.