By Katrina Vander Kooi, summer intern
Standing on a deck 40 feet in the air, Chuck McGinley of McGinley Associates collected samples from the Luverne Ethanol Plant Tuesday. The plant is being tested in order to determine the change in air quality from the last test on April 22, 1999.
"This is part of our action plan," said Rick Serie, plant manager. "Once we get the results, we will analyze them to see if we have made any improvements."
The test was in response to concerns from residents about the odor. In March 1999, CCQL wrote a letter to the editor calling for action to be taken.
Agri-Energy responded by trying to find ways to lessen the odor. "We cannot eliminate the odor, but we are working on ways to reduce it," Serie said.
In December of last year, in an effort to reduce odor, the plant put up a taller, 175-foot smokestack. With the increased height, the emission has a longer distance to disperse before odors fall on the city.
"I'm cautiously optimistic," said Dave Knips, a member of the CCQL, about the current odor test. "I've been working on this for the third summer, and the neighbors still have not seen a difference."
Sampling process
The vials taken Tuesday were from the dryer exhaust stack, the source of most of the odors. This was done by inserting a tube in the stack and letting the air flow out into a vial for about 15 to 20 minutes.
The samples will be directed to two separate places. One goes to a human panel in Stillwater. There, a group of local people has been recruited and trained to smell samples. The members are screened to test their smell ability. Once the panel receives the sample, each member gets a little sniff. They have no idea where the samples come from. The smellers are paid a stipend for their service. McGinley compared it to a taste test for the food industry.
The results of the smelling test are expected by the end of next week.
The other sample will be sent to California for a chemical test. This is not expected to be completed until the end of June.
McGinley was hired in April 1999 by Agri-Energy. He is from Stillwater and has also worked with the ethanol plant in St. Paul. That plant, Gopher State Ethanol, faces similar complaints as the Luverne ethanol plant. In August, the plant will be taken to court by the city of St. Paul in order to declare it a public nuisance. The problems are noise and odor.