Odor concerns in Grand Bees neighborhood addressed by officials

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCBD) – People living in the Grand Bees community were provided with answers Monday night after concerns of an odor in the neighborhood reached local and state officials.

“Over the last 18 or so months, homeowners have been wondering whether or not the fact that we have smells in the air were coming from the landfill,” said Dr. Marion Platt, the Homeowners Association President for Grand Bees at Proximity Communities.

The Bees Ferry Landfill is located right next to the West Ashley neighborhood. Officials from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Charleston County, City of Charleston, and Charleston Water System have all been working to get to the bottom of the smell.

They each shared reports of their findings so far, during a community meeting hosted by Charleston County Councilman Kylon Middleton.

“We’ve brought independent geologists in, DHEC has brought in their scientists, and we’ve put probes all around the perimeter of the landfill, the area that’s between Grand Bees and Bees Ferry Landfill to see if anything is migrating to them. Found nothing,” explained Thomas Cue, who serves as the Director of Environmental Management for Charleston County.

The agencies haven’t been able to pinpoint an exact cause of the odor, but they were able to rule out some possibilities. For example, Charleston Water System determined odors weren’t coming from manholes and there were no signs of sewer gasses entering homes.

“There were concerns about the air, soil, and water quality in Grand Bees and what we were able to do over the course of several months was to have the air, soil, and water quality tested and it appears that there are no concerns with the air, soil, or water quality,” said Dr. Platt.

The county’s Environmental Management Department operates the landfill and will continue to explore options to help get rid of the smell.

“We’re going to be putting up misting systems. We’re going to be putting in a gas collection system. We’re going to maybe cap the leachate tanks. We’re going to try to eliminate any possibility of what the odor is,” Cue told News 2.

Neighbors have also voiced their concerns about an influx of birds from the landfill, primarily in the colder months. County officials said they have implemented bird buffers and are planning to bring in a falconer.