The smell (mostly) comes from the waste water treatment plant that is part of National Starch and Chemical Company. And they make corn starch, and a helluva lot of it, nothing to do with the stuff you spray on shirts. They are notorious and consistent violators of the state's odor regulations. They have recently turned over management of the treatment part of their plant to a sub-contractor, and plan to build a new waste water treatment plant in the near future, which shouldn't smell at all.
The other smell, which is especially nasty when it is hot outside, comes from Darling International, which separates fat from hides, then ships both out to whoever wants that stuff.
We get those smells on this side of the river predominantly in the fall and winter and at night, when the winds come out of the north and there are less leaves on the trees to filter it and the air stays closer to the ground.
If you don't like the smell, or if you ever find it particularly offensive, you should report it. The flawed system will send an investigator out to the site, most likely several days later, to test the odor with a funny looking contraption called a olfactormeter or scentometer. Through carbon filtration, the investigator will shove some glass tubes up his/her nose and subjectively sniff and dial the meter to see if the smell violates the state's 7:1 ratio of stink to no stink. If it stinks to the required level, the offending party will get a notice of violation and may or may not receive a fine.
While this system is undoubtedly fucked up, I believe that the only way these offensive odors will go away is if the good citizens stand up and fight. So, report these stinky bastards whenever it is called for. The more, the better.
There are several ways to do this. One is to call the regional office of the MO Dept. of Natural Resources during bus. hours at
816-622-7000.
You can also file a complaint on-line at:
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/concern.htm
as well as with the local health department at:
http://www.kcmo.org/health.nsf/web/odorcomplaintform
IMHO, the best way to deal with this and other odor problems is to change the state's odor regulations. St. Louis has a complaint-driven, survey-based method of dealing with violations, which makes a lot more sense. I have begun the lengthy process of trying to get something like this implemented state-wide, but haven't gotten any support from our supposed public representative from the Air Conservation Commission, and I get distracted by the other silly things, like trying to make some money.
This is a very serious issue, though. There are presently several large developments going on within the receptor population areas that will have to smell this, and there are billions of dollars in planned investment within that same area, mostly on our Riverfront. And of course there is NKC, an area with enormous potential but plagued with an encompassing stink that has kept development away for years.
Fight the power!
