The small municipality of St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, is doing something extraordinary in the face of environmental disaster. An old fish sauce factory has been creating a noxious smell that’s plagued this community for decades, and they’re putting their foot down. The factory produced wheat gluten until it shuttered a decade later. It left behind more than 100 leaking vats of rotting fish, setting off a decades long legacy of complaints that have drastically affected the quality of life for the surrounding community.
The factory used to employ more than two dozen workers. It became a liability once it was left to languish due to extended legal challenges and criticism from whistleblowers about food safety violations. The smell coming from the site is hard to even describe. It has damaged homes adjacent to the line, a local school, and as recently as last week, even a baseball diamond. Residents say the odor settles over the community. This occurrence is most common during late summer and early fall when the seasonal wind pattern shifts in a direction conducive to transport.
At the start of this year, the city—known in the past for more cautious moves—took a courageous step. In order to jumpstart the cleanup progress, they voted to take control of the site. The federal fisheries department has ordered that the factory’s broken drain pipe be concreted over. This positive stormwater-related development comes on the heels of the unprecedented leak of 11,500-litre tanks into the harbor. Today, the site is a toxic cesspool, with a toxic stew over two‐to‐three feet deep. This new reality represents an unacceptable threat to our environment and public health.
Steve Ryan, a resident of St. Mary’s, voiced the frustrations of many affected by the factory’s presence.
“It’s an everyday thing with the smell — people can’t do normal stuff, like have a barbecue on their deck or hang out their laundry,” – Steve Ryan
Cleaning up the contaminated site will cost more than $1 million. This substantial cost is a big hurdle for the time-limited volunteer council in St. Mary’s, as they lack sufficient financial means to cover the large project on their own. Former premier Andrew Furey has sensed the alarm. He is worried about the health effects on residents and views it as a huge opportunity to develop tourism in the region. Under his administration he has withdrawn the very funds earmarked for the cleanup.
That cleanup effort is a start towards addressing the long-standing crisis of odor at the site. It will pay dividends down the road in St. Mary’s. Community leaders hope that once the site is cleared, it will become feasible to attract visitors and potentially develop bed-and-breakfast establishments in the vicinity.
