Lancaster County locals oppose renewal of compost site permit

FIRTH, Neb. (KOLN) – It was a room full of people and emotions – at some point you needed the calming hand of a pastor to channel sharp disagreements into warmth.

Dozens gathered at the Firth Community Center for a public hearing held by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, weighing the pros and cons of extending the 10-year permit for the Prairieland Gold Capitol composting facility, which neighbors say emits a terrible smell.

“We believe that the composting operation became a nuisance when they started transporting items outside of the manure from their dairy operation,” said Carlos Monzón, testifying against the renewal of the permit.

The problem is the smell. A spot just a few miles from the compost site has been Tim Lindstrom's little slice of heaven for more than three decades.

“I grew up around livestock and familiar farms, and the smell of farming doesn’t bother us,” Lindstrom said. “And then one day in the last 10 years we came outside and found it unbearable.”

The stinky smell, which comes from things like farm waste and dog food, forces windows to close and turns off potential homebuyers, Lindstrom said.

“We literally had people here having to leave the property because the smell was so bad, and over the years it got worse,” Lindstrom said. “We’re talking about 100 square miles that are negatively impacting everyone’s property.”

Monzón said he grew up in an agricultural environment and had never experienced anything like this.

“This is the smell of death,” he said.

Justin Ohlde, part of the family that owns Prairieland, said they have been working on the smell.

“It’s always something we do,” Ohlde said. “I mean, we have a few different processes in place. We did different things, added a few liquids to help break up the substrates… We probably have a dozen things on the drawing board.

Some witnesses supported renewing the permit, citing economic and environmental benefits.

“There are more jobs. It’s more income,” said Firth resident Kristin Draper. “And it puts, you know, the Firth area on the map. We’re doing something cool with waste and turning it into a usable and valuable resource.”

NDEE will consider all comments before making a final decision, but it initially signaled support for renewing the permit. Ohlde said he and his family hope to build relationships with their neighbors.

“We are adhering to our permit and cooperating with regulators,” Ohlde said. “We apply industry best practices and try to continue to improve and just do better.”

NDEE will accept written comments for or against the permit renewal until next week.

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