The Cherokee County Health Department is monitoring odors reported by residents near the landfill in Galena, Kansas, after concerns about two distinct smells. The Iola Register reports the complaints include a rotten-egg odor and a second odor that residents describe as changing over time.
The rotten-egg smell was identified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) as hydrogen sulfide gas. For the second odor, residents described it as smoky and then evolving into an odor they compare to burning asphalt and rubber. County air monitors are being used to look for other air particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
KDHE and the Environmental Protection Agency conducted air monitoring for one day and found very low levels of specific chemical substances, including hydrogen sulfide gas. The health department’s monitoring data is available to the public, and a local resident group posts the results online. The county administrator said the agencies involved should provide transparency and, if existing monitoring does not produce usable results, testing may need to be extended.
The city of Galena owns the landfill, and Jordan Disposal operates it. KDHE previously requested Jordan Disposal develop an excavation plan by June 19, though the exact excavation process was not detailed in the available reporting. Separately, Jordan Disposal is involved in pending litigation with residents who allege odor-related harm to property values, including a lawsuit filed in April that claims odor impacts for 1,302 residential households in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.