For years, Midway residents who live near the Heber Valley Special Services District (HVSSD) have argued that odors from wastewater treatment ponds are harming their health and quality of life.
Research is currently underway to learn more about the science behind the bad smell.
Late this winter, state toxicologist Alejandra Maldonado hosted a public hearing to hear residents’ concerns. Her team is conducting a risk assessment for hydrogen sulfide, a rotten-egg-smelling toxin that can cause headaches, fatigue and other symptoms. Human waste is one source of the toxin.
On Thursday, Maldonado returned to Midway to provide an update on the risk assessment.
“We will be installing hydrogen sulfide monitors and collecting data throughout July and August,” she said.
She said she also wants to install a third hydrogen sulfide monitor in the Fox Den neighborhood of Midway, and is encouraging residents who want to have a monitor installed to fill out a form on the project’s website.
Data collection is scheduled to take place this summer and from mid-April to mid-July next year, weather permitting.
At a public meeting in February, Maldonado emphasized that her team’s role is to provide expertise on potential environmental hazards. It will be up to HVSSD and the Wasatch County Health Department to act on any recommendations from the state.
Outside the scope of Maldonado’s assessment, more information has also become available in response to resident concerns about potential impacts to water quality from the treatment pond: The Utah Department of Water Quality shared the results of HVSSD’s testing.
The district’s wastewater treatment meets standards and the Heber Valley’s groundwater is “clean,” the department said. The department also noted that “odors are common in wastewater treatment plants.”
Maldonado said residents are welcome to ask any questions as data collection continues. More information about the HVSSD risk assessment is available on the project’s website.