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Synagro Stinks! 10/16/2010

In January of 1989, we purchased land on South Lake Road outside of Taft, California which we eventually put a home on in late 1992. We started a commercial fish business and ski pond for my family, after complying with all county rules and regulations. We had a nice home, raised two boys, etc. In 2006 an interested engineering firm approached us saying they wanted to bid on building an odorless indoor facility for composting human waste and green waste on South Lake Road. I would not sign anything stating that I was in favor of the project.

After donations, bribes and paying off the right people, Synagro, also doing business as South Kern Industrial Center LLC, built their facility less than two miles from our home. Neither Synagro nor the County ever contacted us regarding this project. It currently operates at 60% capacity and it is unbearable and unbreathable in the early morning and late evening hours.

For two years Synagro’s representatives strung us along saying the odor problem was an over-filled sump with waste water and that they were correcting it. Their former foreman called me when he left the company and told me that the odor would never get better, it would only get worse. Last year we told Synagro that we can’t tolerate the odor every day and every night any more and were forced to move. We can’t sell the land. We had paid off the land and house to prepare for retirement. Our property value dropped because of the constant odor. I finally spoke to the CFO of Synagro, Joe Page. I told him that if he would compensate us for being forced to move and rent a house, we would be content. Joe said he would take it before the Board. He’s been stringing us along ever since.

The County Environmental Health Services field inspectors have been out after we filed online complaints about the odor, even coming out on Saturday mornings at 5:00 A.M., resulting in Synagro receiving official violations for odor and other problems. I continue to file official complaints every time I visit my property and the odor is present. We also officially went on record with the County as being opposed to any expansion of this facility. (All of their records at the County are under the guise South Kern Industrial.) In conclusion, we cannot live there any longer under those conditions. Synagro has become a public nuisance for us.

We moved in August, 2009.

Frank Rose, Taft CA