Pocono News Section

Exeter Neighbors Smelling Sour

Exeter Neighbors Smelling Sour - Monday, June 30, 2008 at 4:52PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Monday, Jun 30, 2008 @ 04:52pm EST
EXETER, LUZERNE COUNTY- A smell that won't go away in Exeter could be linked to a nearby factory.

Neighbors say the odor keeps cropping up on Bennett Street. The Department of Environmental Protection cited a factory, but that didn't seem to solve the problem.

Jimmy Dennis says he smells a chemical-like odor several times a month. Dennis says, "We have to go through a smell like this week after week. Whether it's after a storm or humid weather."

In May, the DEP cited Gemark Service Corporation in Exeter for causing an odor. But a similar smell cropped up again on June 2nd. The DEP tested the air and sewer drains, and said the air was safe.

But neighbors still want to know where the persistent smell is coming from. Neighbors like Gino Benardi say factories like Gemark at the end of Bennett Street are to blame. "They've been getting away with it for years, you know, because no body really looked into it and nobody complained about it. But now it's getting so bad that the neighborhood is starting to complain," says Benardi.

Dennis says some neighbors are starting a petition, asking the DEP to run more air tests. Courtney Delucca says she hopes for the best for her and her children. "Our main concern is the children and our health on our streets. So as long as it's safe that's ok, but I'm just glad that they're following up on it," says Delucca.

The DEP says it will follow up on every complaint it receives. It also says Gemark Service Corporation has followed it's odor guidelines since it was cited.