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Residents complain of diesel-like fumes from Jenkins Oil; contractors say cleanup equipment malfunctioned
Summary
Residents told the Porterville Town Board they have smelled a kerosene/diesel odor near Jenkins Oil for about two weeks and filed a written nuisance complaint. A town contact said contractors had been treating contaminated soil and an on-site furnace was not operating properly but was repaired; the state requires steps to finish cleanup.
Porterville residents told the town board they were repeatedly exposed to strong diesel- or creosote-like fumes from Jenkins Oil and have filed a written nuisance complaint asking the town to intervene.
The complaint, read into the record by the chair, described a persistent, “horrible kerosene smell” that began the prior Monday and drifted through neighborhoods depending on the wind. One resident said the odor kept the household from opening windows and raised health concerns, saying the emissions “are a whole bunch of carcinogens.”
Town officials and residents said Jenkins had previously experienced a leak at the facility on West State Street and that contractors were on site performing remediation. A local contact told the board Eric Jenkins informed him that contractors place probes in the ground to extract contaminated water and vapors and route them to a truck-mounted furnace on site “that burns the fumes off.” He said the furnace had not been operating properly but was adjusted on the most recent Monday and the contractor will check it daily to ensure proper operation.
The board noted the state has requirements for remediation and that Jenkins is required to follow those state-directed cleanup steps. Residents said the odor decreased after contractors were contacted but stressed that they should receive advance notice when such operations might cause off-site odors.
The board did not take formal enforcement action during the public meeting but collected the complaint and the contact information for follow-up. Officials encouraged residents to report any new or continuing odors so town staff can follow up with the company and the state cleanup oversight authority.
The written complaint was submitted by Susan Esplin; the town’s summary of contractor activity and the furnace adjustment was reported by a local contact who relayed information from Eric Jenkins. The town did not provide additional technical air-quality readings or a timeline for further state action at the meeting.
