Focus on Health Prompts Resolution of Smelly Mess in Crockett

“I made a phone call, and the next thing I knew, we had resources coming in”

“The smell was horrific,” John Angell says, remembering a hot spell early last September when the odor of rotten eggs permeated the air in the town of Crockett. It wasn’t long before John, a Crockett resident and the security, attendance and safety coordinator at John Swett Unified School District, began receiving complaints from concerned parents, students and staff.

The stench came from the nearby Crockett Wastewater Treatment Plant, which processes sewage from both the C&H Sugar refinery and the Crockett community. Bacteria at the plant are supposed to consume waste and produce odorless carbon dioxide but a malfunction caused the bacteria to instead produce hydrogen sulfide gas, the source of the pungent scent blanketing the town.

John, along with other residents, contacted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to learn when the issue would be resolved. Though the air district received hundreds of complaints and issued notices of violation to the treatment plant operators, the smell persisted for weeks.

At the end of September, a power outage at the plant only caused the air quality to worsen. With no end in sight, John was determined to find out who was in charge of monitoring and resolving the situation.

On the evening of October 5, he called Contra Costa Health’s Hazardous Materials Program (HazMat). Though it was late, the person on the phone assured John that a HazMat team would be dispatched to Crockett to investigate.

By six o’clock the next morning, HazMat teams were at work at the middle school and high school in town. “They were fully engaged monitoring, testing and trying to figure out what was going on,” says John. “At one point, they were sitting with the students at the lunch tables, just chilling with the kids. It was cool to see that they were here on our campuses and they were dealing with it.”

Exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause people to experience symptoms including headaches, nausea and burning eyes and can be a serious health issue at certain levels and lengths of time. Over the course of a week, the smell had gone from being a nuisance to a health concern. On October 7, hydrogen sulfide levels were high enough to be a minor health concern, causing Contra Costa Health to issue a health advisory.

John was amazed by how quickly Contra Costa Health responded to his initial call for help, but also by how they coordinated the key groups involved in the situation, including C&H Sugar, the air district and the Crockett Community Services District.

“I was blown away by the response,” shared John. “Contra Costa Health helped facilitate everyone involved. They didn’t need to do what they were doing. They did it because they cared and wanted to make sure that things were done right. It made me feel good that I made a phone call and the next thing you know, we had resources coming in.”

Contra Costa Health’s purpose throughout the incident was to highlight health impacts and to help keep the community safe. They initiated daily communication with local air and water regulators and coordinated daily meetings with the plant operator and the Crockett Community Services District to keep everyone apprised of the situation.

People were afraid of what this all meant for them. Some went to stay in hotels or left town completely. Families were concerned about whether or not they should send their children to school. Understanding these concerns, Contra Costa Health participated in community town hall meetings to listen to the community and inform them about what they could do to protect their health. They also issued a press release and held a media conference to answer questions. Local media took note and soon major outlets were reporting on the issue.

Keeping the schools open while keeping students and staff safe was a priority that both John and Contra Costa Health shared. Contra Costa Health worked with the Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services to locate and deliver 43 high-volume air filtration units to the school district and Crockett Community Library. The heavy-duty purifiers used a carbon filtration system to remove the hydrogen sulfide.

John says students and staff noticed a significant improvement in indoor air quality once the air purifiers were in place. “There was a significant difference in the smell, it was almost like the air had been scrubbed.”

Thankfully, the issues at the plant were resolved and the smell dissipated. On October 17, after three days of reduced hydrogen sulfide levels, the health advisory was lifted. John expressed gratitude for the work Contra Costa Health did, “I am so thankful that the people who stepped in, stepped in. Had Contra Costa Health not gotten involved I don’t think it would’ve necessarily gotten stopped.”