Get out the air fresheners. The smell emanating from Janesville’s landfill is so overpowering that the city has brought in a consultant to help solve the issue.
Landfill operations director John Whitcomb says a flaw in the design of the facility is making it difficult to control the release of gases from decomposition. He says it’s the most severe odor problem he’s seen in his 20 years in Janesville.
Whitcomb says the city needs a better seal on the perimeter of the landfill. Whitcomb says it’s not the methane that’s causing the small, but other landfill gases that are a bit more pungent.
Repair work is expected to begin this spring.
AUDIO: Operations director John Whitcomb (:19)