Henderson history: Bad odors periodically plagued county but especially in late 1990s

Stinky emissions from Henderson County’s new chicken processing plant in the Robards-Sebree area would “gag a maggot,” Judge-executive Sandy Watkins said in mid-1998 when a group of unhappy citizens visited a meeting of Henderson Fiscal Court.

That was a complete turnabout from his stance four years earlier, when he had been trying his best to convince Hudson Foods Inc. to build here. The company did a test run at the beginning of July 1996 on the complex, which cost an estimated $125 million. Odor problems surfaced almost immediately, which prompted Watkins to complain to the plant manager.

(The county has a long history of complaints about industrial odors. More about that later.)

Tyson Foods, the nation's largest poultry producer, announced Sept. 4, 1997, that it was acquiring Hudson Foods. The purchase was concluded in January 1998.

Robards-area residents once again came to Henderson Fiscal Court to complain, according to The Gleaner of June 3.

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Doug Hester, the plant manager, told them the previous owner had made some mistakes in designing the plant.

“We’re coming to realize that,” he said.

Problems boiled down to two main complaints: The smell of scorched chicken feathers, and the stench from the city’s overloaded wastewater treatment plant that had been built specifically to help land Hudson Foods.

The plant manager told the crowd the company was working on solutions, but that results were probably weeks away, and more permanent solutions could take months. Fortunately, Hester said, “Tyson has shown more urgency … than I could get out of our Hudson folks.”

New equipment to better dry chicken feathers should arrive within three weeks, Hester said, although solving problems at the sewage treatment plant might take longer. The June 7 Gleaner, however, reported the solutions were within reach in a matter of days.

The Gleaner of June 18 reported the state Division of Water had cited the city’s sewage treatment plant near Robards because of discharges into the Green River during the month of May. The treatment plant “can’t handle the volume or the strength of the wastewater being received” from Tyson, said R. Bruce Scott, environmental engineer branch manager.

The Gleaner of June 20 noted the city of Henderson had delivered by hand the previous day an administrative order to Tyson that met all the state Division of Water’s requirements.

It levied a fine of $1,000 and also told Tyson “what limits they can’t go over,” said Rodney Michael, acting general manager of Henderson Water Utility. Before the administrative order was issued, he explained, the firm had to comply only with “basic limits.” The administrative order was more detailed in its restrictions.

“The administrative order has a cap in it that wasn’t there before,” he said.

Michael also pointed out the south sewage treatment plant should be able to increase its capacity within a few days.

One of the treatment basins had been out of order for about three months because of problems with its liner.

Those actions didn’t entirely resolve the chicken plant’s odor problems, but they went a long way in that direction.

However, The Gleaner of Nov. 11, 2003, reported a federal judge had ruled that Tyson Foods had responsibility for the smell and air pollution generated by poultry houses where its chickens were raised for processing, even though the company didn't own the property.

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Tyson Foods wasn’t the only local company wrestling with odor problems in mid-1998. For more than a year a rotten egg smell had been emitted by the MacMillan Bloedel Packaging Inc. plant in Henderson Corporate Park. The plant, now owned by International Paper Co., was erected in 1995 at a cost of about $100 million.

Again, odor problems surfaced quickly, because by 1997 the company was pledging to solve the problem. The Gleaner of June 26, 1998, however, indicated some officials and residents thought the company was “dragging its feet.”

“MacMillan Bloedel understands the frustrations of residents who live near the mill and are disturbed by the smell,” the company said in a statement. “We don’t blame them for being angry; we do ask for their patience. The solution is near.”

That involved closing what the company called a poorly designed pretreatment facility and instead relying on the Henderson Water Utility to treat its wastewater at the sewage treatment plant on Drury Lane.

MacMillan Bloedel planned to spend $2 million to expand the city’s treatment plant, plus spend $750,000 to $850,000 annually to operate the expanded plant. The expansion was to serve only MacMillan Bloedel and existing industrial customers in Henderson Corporate Park.

The company was also in the process of pumping “stinking sludge” out of the company’s two settlement basins.

And that’s roughly what happened. The Gleaner of Nov. 13 reported all odor problems had evaporated after the company began pumping its wastewater to the Drury Lane sewage treatment plant.

By the way, odor problems at Tyson Foods, coupled with the development of 4 Star Industrial Park and rumors of a possible hog-slaughtering operation here, helped spur re-incorporation of the town of Robards.

Henderson has a long history of smelly businesses from the beginning. Hugh McGary -- junior and senior -- operated both a tannery and a tavern on the riverfront as early as 1797. I’ve seen deeds for a couple of other tanneries in the county during the 1840s. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list, but it should give you an idea of what’s gone before.

In May of 1881, the year after it began operations, complaints were heard about the Hill & Winstead Distillery at the end of Center Street dumping waste into Canoe Creek, according to the Henderson Reporter. “Henderson County fish have never been used to the offal from a distillery, and once getting a taste, they indulged their appetite to such an extent as to produce death. Fishing parties had better let the creek alone.”

Objectionable odors from the American Nicotine Co., which had an operation on the river at the end of Towles Street, was cited by the city multiple times between 1895 and 1905 for maintaining a public nuisance.

One of the city’s biggest odor problems, though, stemmed from its sewer system. The main outfall was into Canoe Creek about five miles from its mouth. During the summer of 1910 about 15 to 20 families who lived along the creek were threatening to sue because of the odor.

Lawsuits against the city, Peerless Distillery and Henry Kraver resulted in judgements where the city bore the bulk of the blame, according to The Gleaner of Jan. 19, 1912.

Another lawsuit was filed at the end of 1921 which named the city, the H.J. Heinz Co., the Eckert Packing Co. and the Consolidated Textile Corp., more commonly called the cotton mill. Again, the city took most of the blame; it paid $3,176 of the total judgement of $3,450.

The problems with Canoe Creek continued until 1955, when the city began pumping its sewage directly into the Ohio River; in mid-December it started up its first sewage treatment plant. Diverting sewage out of Canoe Creek led to the development of Eastgate Shopping Center in 1959, which was Henderson’s first, and also opened new areas to residential development.

On March 16, 1961, Circuit Judge Faust Y. Simpson ruled against the Farmers Tankage rendering operation, which had been sued by about 88 neighbors for making their lives difficult. The operation at the end of South Main Street was later called Griffin Industries.

In the early 1980s about 200 residents near Zion were objecting to the feedlot operated by Drura Scott.And The Gleaner of Sept. 6, 1995, The Gleaner reported the city had once again cited Griffin Industries for a codes violation involving smoke and odor. The citation came after months of residents’ complaints.

100 YEARS AGO

Henderson County was wrapping up its strawberry season, according to The Gleaner of June 6, 1923, although the crop had been damaged by heavy rains. Some farmers were saying they would not try to market them commercially.The Gleaner of June 17, however, reported farmers saying the crop was better than they had expected.

75 YEARS AGO

Union County Deputy Sheriff Givens Christian, 53, was fatally injured while arresting a Camp Breckinridge soldier at a carnival near Sturgis, according to The Gleaner of June 4, 1948.

The soldier was Pvt. J.C. Lampkin Jr., 22, of Wyanette, Illinois, who was under arrest and sitting in the cab of a truck when he took the wheel and attempted a getaway. The deputy reached through the window trying to stop him and was dragged two blocks. He died in an ambulance on the way to Evansville.

The Union County Advocate of Nov. 4 reported Lampkin had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison.

50 YEARS AGO

Twin infants only two months old were killed in a one-car accident on U.S. 60 near Reed involving a Vine Grove family, according to The Gleaner of June 2, 1973.

Charles Lynn Burke Jr. was dead on arrival at an Owensboro hospital. His sister, Debra Lynn Burke, died at the hospital about two hours after the wreck. Their mother, Linda Burke, remained in serious condition.

The father was released. He said he had been trying to avoid a head-on collision with another vehicle that had crossed the center line. It did not stop.

Readers of The Gleaner can reach Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @BoyettFrank.