Fowl causes foul odor, says inspector
The source of at least one foul odor in Ramona last week was determined by a county inspector to be the composting of chicken carcasses.
Many residents had posted complaints on Facebook of a stench smelling like animal waste and some speculated it came from a chicken ranch.
After the county’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) received a couple of complaints, an inspector visited Pine Hills Egg Ranch on state Route 78 east of town on Thursday and reported that the strong odors were coming from composting carcasses of spent hens, which are hens no longer laying eggs.
On Friday, a representative at the egg farm, located about seven miles east of downtown Ramona, said the composting had been completed.
According to the report, the odor ranked 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the strongest. The inspector said the strong odor ended 1.5 miles east of the ranch and .8 miles west along Julian Road/state Route 78.
Some residents commented last Tuesday that there were foul smells in downtown Ramona and west to Archie Moore Road. A sewage spill of 125 gallons had been reported in Carlsbad, but APCD investigated and said that would not have affected air quality in Ramona.
Robert Kard, director of APCD, said an inspector visited the Encina Authority Waste Water Treatment Plant in Carlsbad Thursday afternoon and there were no appreciable sewage odors in the vicinity. The wind direction on Tuesday would not have blown any odors from Carlsbad inland toward Ramona, he noted.
After investigating wind directions last week, Kard said a northerly wind could have carried the odors from the Pine Hill Egg Ranch to the west side of Ramona.
“Strong odors can carry for miles if the source of the odors is persistent enough such that the wind does not dilute the odoriferous gases being released,” he stated in an email.
Because Pine Hills Egg Ranch is an agricultural operation, Kard said the strong smells did not violate the county’s nuisance code.
APCD’s rule mirrors state law and “exempts agricultural operations from being cited for odors,” he said.
The composting is done in accordance with state law, according to the egg farm.
Intermountain Fire and Rescue Department is a neighbor of the egg ranch and well familiar with the agricultural smells from the farm operation.
Deputy Chief John Boyer said the odor of chicken manure can be significant at times.
“It really depends on which way the wind blows,” he said.