A strange odor swept through the township last Tuesday night (Nov. 13), prompting hundreds of calls from township residents to Consumers Energy.
Both Consumers Energy and the Ajax Corporation, on whose property the smell originated, had nothing to do with the odor, according to township officials.
The odor came from a gas well operation involving an independent operation, one the township said was totally controlled under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Well Master Consulting and Arrow Sanitation were the companies involved, according to Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk. Calls to both were not returned prior to press time.
Dywasuk added that he could smell the odor from as far north as downtown Oxford, saying the smell resembled a gas leak, which sparked community concern.
Scott Rowe, from the Eagle Valley landfill, said the non-toxic sludge was brought in and immediately buried, as to limit the impact it would have on neighboring properties.
‘We dug a hole and buried it as soon as we got it,? Rowe noted. ‘It eliminated some of the odor, but some of it hung around.?
It was gone, however, by the end of the week.
Rowe said it was his understanding that more work on the property could involve more production of the stinky sludge, but added that Eagle Valley will not take it anymore due to the odor.