Letter: Clean power leaves a stench

The fire at the cogeneration plant in Oroville will quickly disappear from the headlines.

[juanita]

thanks Kathy - will do.

[Darius]

Is that what the smell is? Enough to make you sick!

[Floyd]

I live just a mile or so north of the power plant on the Feather River. For several months after the last fire, I was bothered by a continual stench from the smoldering piles of sawdust and wood chips.

During the most recent fire I not only was bothered by the smell, but the inside of my house and its contents is still filled with what seems to be ash.

My mother, who is 90 years old, lives next door to me and has constant breathing problems which seem to be worse during fires. Even when the plant appears to be functioning properly I can see large plumes of smoke or steam. which I hope is filtered and clean, although there always seems to be some smell from the plant.

[Brad]

The plumes are steam, pure water vapor.

[Marta - Oroville]

I was so sick from that fire, and the stench was terrible. I was sick for several weeks with first a sinus infection and then an upper respiratory infection. I have never had these kinds of infections before in my life!! I know many other people who were sick with the same kinds of problems that I had at the same time.
Something needs to be done!!!!
Why is it that big business always seems to get by with breaking the law?

[Brad]

At the power plant an accident happened, a fire started. The fuel pile that they have is the fuel for energy. When the pile catches fire, it hits them in the pocketbook. This is not a case of big business breaking the law.

[Kathy]

Hi Brad,

You seem to have a little insight into what happens at the plant that has so negatively impacted us this year. I understand this was an accident, but I also understand the plant had an accident in October in which it took about 8 weeks to put the fire out. I got that information from Air Quality Management.

When there is a little fog or cloud cover, which there was during a significant portion of the time the fire was burning, the ash, smoke, and stench cover the area. I have had days when I wake up feeling just fine, then drive through the area of the plant on Highway 70 and can feel my allergies take off. Not just sneezing, that would be easy. A swelling throat and burning eyes that went on for a couple of months is not tolerable.

I could show you my doctor bills. Believe me, these accidents aren't just expensive for the plant.

What caused the fire in October? What caused the fire last week? Great expense should warrant care.

Brad wrote:

At the power plant an accident happened, a fire started. The fuel pile that they have is the fuel for energy. When the pile catches fire, it hits them in the pocketbook. This is not a case of big business breaking the law.

[Kathy]

Brad.... are you there? I'd really like to hear from you. I do not have the insight that you have and would really like to be educated. All I know is how it impacts me and my neighborhood.

[Kathy]

In a paper published by Paul Orum in 2004 entitled "Working Group on Community Right-To-Know, Pacific Oroville Power, Inc., Oroville, CA is listed as using Chlorine "as a biocide to prevent fouling of water used in cooling or to generate steam" http://www.crtk.org/library_files/PowerPlants... .

"Chlorine gas can form a dangerous toxic plume in an emergency release. Chlorine in water harms fish and other marine life. Acute human exposure can cause permanent damage by severely burning the eyes and skin, and can cause throat irritation, tearing, coughing, nose bleeds, chest pain, fluid build-up in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and even death. Chronic exposure can damage the teeth and irritate the lungs, causing bronchitis, coughing, and shortness of breath. A single high exposure can permanently damage the lungs".

Is this still the case?

"Safer alternatives to anhydrous ammonia and chlorine gas are commercially available for use at power plants. Aqueous ammonia can replace anhydrous ammonia, and chlorine bleach or bromine can replace chlorine gas".

Has the cogeneration plant switched to bromine?

[Brad]

I do not work at the plant, nor do I have knowledge outside of what is generally known. Since it is a power plant, it needs fuel. The chips would be the fuel. And I have been told that the stack releases only steam. It looks like steam to me, so I would have no doubt what I was told would be correct. Other than that, I do not have any info. But if you go to the office in front of the plant, they should give you info. I am sorry to hear of so many people who get symtoms from these fires. Also, I have been there before to drop off branches and such Everytime I am there, the employees are great to me. Sorry I can not be of anymore help.

[Brad]

I am not sure what they use, but I would suspect it has not been released in high doses as it would not take too much to clean the water and I have never smelled clorine around there. Again, just talking from experience.Also, clorine bleach at home would cause all the symtoms you described last(from the info. website), if you used too much in an enclosed area.( I believe based on some experience, and some reading from a container). But I am feeling much better now.

[Kathy]

Thanks Brad. I got the mistaken impression you might have some insight that I don't have. There is a difference between the types of chlorines. The website I provided explains the difference. The chlorine is issue number 2, in addition to the constant open burn of sawdust, woodchips, and wood.

The people at the plant do seem very nice. They would be part of the public that would be exposed during these accidents.

Have you been to the Butte County Air Quality Management site? It has been sharing information with the community since January of 2005. There have been 8 voluntary "no light tonight" postings and, aside from the Moonlight fire, have all been since the powerplant accident in October of 2007. Coincidence? My lungs tell me it isn't.

Brad wrote:

I am not sure what they use, but I would suspect it has not been released in high doses as it would not take too much to clean the water and I have never smelled clorine around there. Again, just talking from experience.Also, clorine bleach at home would cause all the symtoms you described last(from the info. website), if you used too much in an enclosed area.( I believe based on some experience, and some reading from a container). But I am feeling much better now.

[Nathan]

I've lived around this area for over 5 years and my asthma has always been at its worst when these so called accidents occur. I don't know all of politics behind this or even what exactly the plant does. All I know is it makes me sick, it stinks, and it makes life a lot harder than it needs to be having asthma already. I don't know why one would choose to defend this place other than having some sort of affiliation with this company. If it honestly does not affect you health wise, then congratulations. But for those of us that it does affect, it is a huge problem and needs to be dealt with.

Brad wrote:

I am not sure what they use, but I would suspect it has not been released in high doses as it would not take too much to clean the water and I have never smelled clorine around there. Again, just talking from experience.Also, clorine bleach at home would cause all the symtoms you described last(from the info. website), if you used too much in an enclosed area.( I believe based on some experience, and some reading from a container). But I am feeling much better now.

[Kathy]

If you have ever smelled the sulphur at around 6:30 on Friday evenings your wouldn't feel any better. I suppose you are close to your hometown of Cottonwood by that time, far from the cogeneration plant that is making the rest of us sick.

Kathy wrote:

Thanks Brad. I got the mistaken impression you might have some insight that I don't have. There is a difference between the types of chlorines. The website I provided explains the difference. The chlorine is issue number 2, in addition to the constant open burn of sawdust, woodchips, and wood.
The people at the plant do seem very nice. They would be part of the public that would be exposed during these accidents.
Have you been to the Butte County Air Quality Management site? It has been sharing information with the community since January of 2005. There have been 8 voluntary "no light tonight" postings and, aside from the Moonlight fire, have all been since the powerplant accident in October of 2007. Coincidence? My lungs tell me it isn't.
<quoted text>

[brad]

Kathy, I live in Oroville, the print below does not show the real place that people are writing from. Actually, there was a longer fire a few years back too. and Nathan, this is a power plant, they make power that you and I use everyday. It is normally clean power except when an accident happens. They also employ a lot of people and pay good wages. But we should not give up on this plant, for should we bulldoze a whole forest because there was a fire in it? Again, I am sorry to hear about your troubles.

[Nathan]

Ok, good pay is a legitimate excuse to poison people....got it. The employees are exposed to these "accidents" more directly than any of us.
I hope they feel they are paid enough for the exposure they are submitting to. Now back to the subject.

And, for the record, they are generating power to sell to PG&E for profit.... right?(I did some research).

You say the plant is clean except when there is an accident. It is my understanding that they have had many "accidents" since last October... maybe even before. Doesn't this indicate bad management to you?
And, so as not to let a good metaphor go unanswered... you wouldn't need the bulldozer because the forest would take care of itself.

brad wrote:

Kathy, I live in Oroville, the print below does not show the real place that people are writing from. Actually, there was a longer fire a few years back too. and Nathan, this is a power plant, they make power that you and I use everyday. It is normally clean power except when an accident happens. They also employ a lot of people and pay good wages. But we should not give up on this plant, for should we bulldoze a whole forest because there was a fire in it? Again, I am sorry to hear about your troubles.

[brad]

Nathan,

If you are having problems, You might go down to their front office to let them know.
Lets take this argument to a more usefull purpose instead of using soundbites. Maybe in a forum like this we can come up with ways to make the plant fuel less inclined to spontaneously or accidently combust. Does anybody out there have any ideas?
Maybe using silos instead of one big pile may work. It would be costly, to totally redo the plant, but probably not overly.
Any other ideas?

[Kathy]

Brad, Please don't misunderstand me. I am not, nor have I ever, thought that the plant should be closed. Maybe long enough to correct the problem, but not forever. I am actually for finding alternative fuel and power sources. I just don't think it is a good idea to continue to operate as it has been operating which is putting the health of the community at risk. I do understand economics and how important jobs are to our town.

brad wrote:

Kathy, I live in Oroville, the print below does not show the real place that people are writing from. Actually, there was a longer fire a few years back too. and Nathan, this is a power plant, they make power that you and I use everyday. It is normally clean power except when an accident happens. They also employ a lot of people and pay good wages. But we should not give up on this plant, for should we bulldoze a whole forest because there was a fire in it? Again, I am sorry to hear about your troubles.

[Interesting]

I thought it was one long fire. Maybe it was a bunch of small ones??? I know it stinks and it is hard to breathe around there.

[Beautiful Day]

It should have been a beautiful morning on the Feather River,,,,, to be in a canoe, dippin a worm, hot cup of coffee, watchin the ducks.... Yep, the world is a perfect place at Riverbend Park. Ahhhhh. Except I forgot my particle mask and it felt like my head was in a woodstove!