Ohio EPA issues notice of violation to Greene Co. biodigester, claims it is causing odor nuisance

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BATH TWP. — Odor complaints continue to be a problem near a biodigester facility in Greene County.

This month the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency sent a notice of violation to Dovetail Energy on Herr Road.

It states the site is violating state environmental laws and regulations.

The Ohio EPA sent Dovetail Energy the notice of violation saying it’s received more than 50 strong odor complaints from July 18 through Aug. 2.

The EPA thinks those odors are coming from the facility.

A biodigester breaks down waste and turns it into fertilizer.

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The EPA said between July 19- Aug. 2 it found offsite odors associated with the facility.

Due to the frequency and intensity of the odors, the Ohio EPA and Regional Air Pollution Control Agency said Dovetail is causing an odor nuisance.

Last year, Fairborn and Bath Township sued the operators of the biodigester, claiming they were running a digestate lagoon at the facility without controlling ammonia emissions with the best available technology.

One neighbor said she’s sent hundreds of odor complaints to the Ohio EPA over the last five years.

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“It’s just frustrating in the fact that it’s a monotonous, never-ending issue that doesn’t go away,” Sarah Fulton of Bath Township said.

She described the smell as “absolutely horrendous.”

“To have over and over again, week after week, year after year of having your property smell really awful like decaying matter, ammonia, and sewage on any given night is hard especially when you just want to open your windows and enjoy a cool night,” Fulton said.

She said she understands realistically the business can’t stop working but wants changes to be made

“I understand that they’re a business and they’re trying to provide a service as well. I wish that they would have constructed their lagoons and their system in a smaller scale in a way that wouldn’t have created such an issue,” she said.

News Center 7 reached out to the biodigester’s operator for comment and has not yet heard back.

We will update this story if we receive a response.