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Marysville residents are planning to sue Cedar Grove Composting, alleging the company is to blame for foul smells wafting through town. (AP image)

Marysville residents to sue over Cedar Grove compost stink

BY Josh Kerns  on November 19, 2012 @ 11:04 am (Updated: 11:54 am - 11/19/12 )

Marysville residents say after a two year fight, they're going to sue over a foul odor they claim comes from a nearby Cedar Grove Composting plant on the outskirts of town.

"It's near the point where it actually burns your eyes and nose. It's a nuisance," said Byron Muck, who lives about two miles from the plant.

Muck spoke with KIRO Radio's Ross and Burbank Monday about the ongoing battle with Cedar Grove, which has vehemently denied being the source of the smell since neighbors and city officials started complaining.

"They have aggressively pointed the finger in other directions," Muck says. The company has repeatedly suggested the odor comes from either a nearby tree bark processing plant, or Marysville's sewage-treatment plant. But Muck says the claims don't pass the the smell test.

"They're all distinct odors, but none of these are what we are smelling," Muck says.

The fight has escalated since the Mucks and other neighbors presented Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring with 1,300 signatures in 2010 demanding the city help fight Cedar Grove.

The city hired a law firm and public relations agency to help with the battle, while Cedar Grove hired its own Seattle public relations firm, The Seattle Times reported.

Now, Cedar Grove is suing the city for allegedly withholding public records, neighbors are planning to sue and another attorney is collecting names to possibly file a class-action suit.

Muck just wants to use his backyard on a nice summer day without holding his nose.

"During the summer months, I invite anyone to come out and I'll take them right out here on our deck. They can be witness to the smell that we put up with."

While the company has offered to help pay for an independent study to ultimately determine the cause, Muck is dubious. And with all of the animosity in the air, it's unlikely the matter will be cleared any time soon.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (5)


  • Add A Comment

  • William Lawn wrote...
    Animosity in the air?
    November 19, 2012 11:19 am
    Smell test?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    The Place
    November 19, 2012 12:00 pm
    Already "stank" with the sewage lagoon.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Snout wrote...
    Yeah.
    November 19, 2012 12:43 pm
    That compost and sewage smell makes it hard to smell the meth those people are smoking up there.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Lonestar wrote...
    The stink
    November 19, 2012 3:32 pm
    Is coming from Jay Inslee's secret sauce.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hectic wrote...
    PR Firms?
    November 19, 2012 8:20 pm
    The city hired a public relations agency to help? Is this a joke? The public doesn't need a PR firm to schmooze them, they need the odor to go away. I don't see why this is so hard, if the place stinks, shut it down, or start fining them $10,000 a day until they fix the problem. That's what real cities do, they certainly don't hire PR firms.

    I guarantee the citizens who are smelling it, know exactly where it's coming from; they've obviously spent a lot of time and energy figuring it out. Now the city needs to step up, and quit hiding behind the lawyers and PR Agencies.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }