New Incinerator Scrubber on the Way, Mayor Reports

A new air scubber for the city's incinerator should arrive in about a week, Mayor Leo Fontaine said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

After the incinerator issued foul-smelling odors for nearly all of last week, city officials pushed Synagro to fix the problem — and Fontaine said workers repaired the existing scrubber "to keep it functioning until the new one comes in — we were appreciative that they jumped on it and made the repairs as quickly as they did."

Fontaine said the number of calls to his office has dropped since Friday.

"Since they've done the repairs, the odors have reduced dramatically, and I haven't had any [complaints] since then," Fontaine explained.

The mayor also clarified why Synagro recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — it's part of a process to sell the incinerator to a new owner.

"Synagro is owned by the Carlyle Group, and they're trying to sell it off — they've found a buyer, but the buyer wanted the sale to go through bankruptcy to thin out some of the debt" held by the parent company on the plant, Fontaine said. He added that the city has "retained legal counsel to ensure that our interests are protected [but] we have not gotten any indication that it will be a concern for us at this point."