Residents in the Clifton Springs area are frustrated. They are raising concerns about a local company that could be having an impact on the environment.
Local neighbors of G.W. Lisk have been complaining about the smell of chemicals in the air. Corinne Sabin, a local resident who took to Facebook to share their concerns, said they thought there was a fire at G.W. Lisk on December 7th.
Thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from a stack at Lisk. Combined this with a strong chemical smell, and it has local residents worried.
“It is a heavy, chemical smell. I don’t know what else to do. I cannot live in a neighborhood where a factory is allowed to emit into the air a substance that smells that bad. I don’t know if there is anything else you can do for me to remedy this situation,” another resident who has lived in Clifton Springs for more than four decades wrote to the Department of Environmental Conservation. “If not, I will have to consider leaving a house that I have lived in for 46 years.”
That letter was shared after this story began gaining momentum due to the ongoing nature of odors. Reports first began popping up on social media over the summer, and continued through the fall.
For its role, G.W. Lisk says it follows DEC regulations and submits routine reports. The company also doesn’t believe they are responsible for odors locals are complaining about.
The DEC says it has inspected the Lisk facility. No air regulation violations were observed in that period. That said, the DEC did confirm that they are working with the state Pollution Prevention Institute to address odors. “The odors are reportedly associated with an evaporator used to remove water from spent floor cleaning solution,” the DEC added in an official statement.
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