ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Residents in the Childs Park neighborhood of St. Petersburg have been complaining for decades about a foul odor that comes and goes. They say the odor smells like gas and oil.
We’ve been covering this story over the past two years, and it turns out that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now stepping in to get to the bottom of that odor. The agency installed two new air quality monitors in the neighborhood.
The monitors, which are on loan, will help detect volatile organic compounds in the air. The EPA strategically placed the monitors next to an industrial corridor right in the middle of this community.
Five plants do everything from recycling oil to water reclamation. The companies say they don’t believe the odor is coming from their plants, but many residents say they don’t buy that.
We spoke with the Childs Parks Community Association president, who said his main concern is the health of residents but that he’s pleased with where the community’s efforts have gotten them.
“I feel that it’s good that the community can see that their advocacy has produced something. We’ve been working on this for a number of years as far as the smell, the smell something, say something campaign. And to have the EPA come in, that was one of our goals. We wanted to raise enough concern, get enough people’s attention to have the EPA and different organizations step in because so many times the local system has failed us,” said Jaabar Edmond.
We’ll continue to keep tabs on it and report updates, including any findings by the EPA. If you’re a resident of Childs Park and you notice a foul odor, click here.
