What Was That Smell?

Smell rotten eggs in Lorton recently? In September, the odor permeated the Lorton Valley neighborhood. The cause: the nearby Lorton Construction Landfill operated by EnviroSolutions Inc. (ESI). 

"We have a tank system at the landfill that collects water, and over the last month-and-a-half because of the ongoing rains, we've had extensive amount of wastewater. Two weeks ago, we had a contractor on that system who left a tank unsecured and it resulted in the odor," said Charles Fromm, ESI general counsel.

"We're working with the county regarding a plan to ensure we don't have incidents in future, and keeping local officials apprised of what we are doing. We're evaluating the entire system, and establishing protocols to ensure we don't have errors in the future," Fromm said.  

ESI conducted toxicity tests, which came out negative, and met with representatives of the Lorton Valley Homeowners Association on Sept. 29. 

"It was pretty bad. I'd never smelled anything that strong before," said Lorton Valley HOA president Clint Herbert. "So far, ESI has been working with us and they responded very rapidly. We haven't had any of that smell occurring since they went over their plan."