Shape up or risk losing your right to operate
is the message Mesa County officials are sending to operators of the Deer Creek
wastewater disposal facility.
Linda Dannenberger, Mesa County Planning
Division Director, drafted a letter that was sent late Thursday to the
president of Alanco Energy Services, which operates the facility at 5180 U.S.
Hwy. 50.
In the letter, Dannenberger wrote: “Mesa County
has received a steady number of complaints over the past week regarding odors
emanating from the Deer Creek Facility. This problem has been reported
intermittently by residents located in a wide radius of the facility since the
fall of 2014.”
Whitewater residents shared their concerns about
the facility’s odor at the Commissioners’ Administrative Hearing Monday, May 4.
Residents also attended a meeting with Alanco that evening, asking the company
to address the smell. Alanco officials indicated the problem would be resolved
in 36 hours.
In her letter, Dannenberger wrote: “It is
important for you to know that although county staff attended the meeting, the
County Commissioners could not attend due to the high probability that the
conditional use permit will come before them for review in public hearing.… If
the situation persists, a public hearing will be scheduled immediately to
review the permit. Immediate attention to this matter would be prudent. The
County will exercise little patience on matters that are determined to be a
threat to public or environmental health.”