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  2. EPA in Missouri

Odor Concerns in St. Louis, Missouri

On this page:

  • Odor Investigation
  • Reporting Odor Concerns
  • Clean Air Act and Odors
  • Additional Information Resources
  • Related Documents

Odor Investigation

Background

EPA Region 7 and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) received numerous odor complaints during 2021 and 2022 from various communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The city also has neighborhood communities adjacent to dense concentrations of industries, and this may subject these communities to disproportionate impacts1 on their health and/or environment. These factors prompted EPA to further investigate the odors in the area with a mobile air monitoring vehicle (GMAP) to screen for possible emissions of regulated pollutants from facilities that may be contributing to the issues identified by the complaints.

1 Pursuant to a permanent injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on Aug. 22, 2024, EPA will not impose or enforce any disparate-impact or cumulative-impact-analysis requirements under Title VI against any entity in the state of Louisiana. See additional and updated information.

GMAP Study

GMAP route map
GMAP route in St Louis, Sept. 12-15, 2022. (U.S. EPA image)

In partnership with the National Enforcement Investigation Center (NEIC), EPA Region 7 conducted a survey of several air pollutants in the St. Louis area in September 2022. EPA identified 44 facilities that reported emissions of pollutants that could be detected by the equipment in the GMAP, which was driven on the roadways and public access areas around those facilities to conduct the monitoring. In addition, stationary measurements were taken while the GMAP was parked overnight at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' property. The final report of the GMAP monitoring work was completed in February 2023.

Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement

Although the data collected by EPA in this project can only be used for screening purposes and does not indicate a violation of a permit, operating standard, National Ambient Air Quality Standard, or relate to a risk-based health standard, Region 7 did identify 15 facilities for follow-up compliance inspections based on the GMAP survey. In coordination with MoDNR, the on-site inspections were conducted by EPA inspectors and contract inspectors between July and September 2023. Finalized inspection reports will be available in the Related Documents section below.

EPA cannot discuss potential or ongoing enforcement actions, but information on completed actions can be found on EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online website. ECHO can be used to search for specific facilities in your community, analyze compliance and enforcement trends, and find EPA cases.

EVENT

DATE

Odor complaints received from St. Louis citizens

June 2021 to July 2022

GMAP survey conducted

Sept. 12-15, 2022

Final GMAP report received from NEIC

Feb. 22, 2023

EPA inspections conducted on selected facilities

July to Sept. 2023

Public Meeting held on status of St. Louis odor investigation

Oct. 25, 2023

Enforcement and compliance activities

Ongoing

Reporting Odor Concerns

image of odor wheel

When reporting an odor concern to EPA or the state, providing detailed descriptions of the odor and its duration, intensity, and location are key for the best possible follow-up investigations.

The “St. Louis Odor Reporting Handout” includes an odor wheel (shown at right), which can assist citizens in characterizing the smell, and guidance on all important information to provide when reporting odor concerns.

  • To submit environmental concerns to MoDNR, including odors, visit their website.
  • To submit environmental concerns to EPA, including odors, visit the ECHO website.

Clean Air Act and Odors

The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources to protect human health and the environment. The CAA directs EPA to control these emissions by developing and implementing standards and guidelines. EPA currently has over 300 regulations for stationary sources that address pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and hazardous air pollutants. EPA does not regulate odors. Instead, EPA focusses on emissions rates as limitations.

However, MoDNR does have regulations that restrict the emissions of odors in the state. In Missouri, primary responsibility for implementation and enforcement of the CAA, which includes conducting follow-up investigations on tips and complaints, is delegated to the state and local air agencies. MoDNR’s odor rule, including compliance evaluation methods and exclusions to the rule, can be found in Missouri’s Code of State Regulations under section 10 CSR 10-165.

For additional information about MoDNR's odor rule, please visit MoDNR’s website.

Additional Information Resources

  • For information on EPA’s air monitoring, enforcement, and permitting work with the Veolia ES Technical Solutions LLC facility, located in Sauget, Illinois, please visit EPA’s website.
  • Summary of Clean Air Act
  • Air Enforcement at EPA
  • MoDNR’s Air Pollution Control Program

Related Documents

  • NEIC Report - St. Louis 2022 GMAP Project (pdf) (784.8 KB)
  • St. Louis Odor Complaint Investigation Presentation - October 25, 2023 (pdf) (852.96 KB)
  • St. Louis Odor Reporting Handout (pdf) (41.56 KB)
 
Facility Document Type Document Link
Buckeye Terminals Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (494.91 KB)
Buckeye Terminals No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (198.54 KB)
Chemisphere Corporation Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (459.12 KB)
Chemisphere Corporation No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (217.13 KB)
Elantas PDG Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (3.73 MB)
Elantas PDG No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (188.63 KB)
Elementis Specialties Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (395.31 KB)
FOL Tape Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (475.91 KB)
FOL Tape No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (219.43 KB)
JD Streett Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (517.6 KB)
Kinder Morgan Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (465.24 KB)
Kinder Morgan No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (418.36 KB)
Mid-West Industrial Chemical Co. Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (333.81 KB)
Mid-West Industrial Chemical Co. No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (202.93 KB)
New Frontier Materials Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (444.92 KB)
New Frontier Materials No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (206.33 KB)
PQ Corporation Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (481.19 KB)
Precoat Metals Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (632.91 KB)
Reichhold LLC 2 Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (392.06 KB)
Superior Home Products Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (342.46 KB)
Superior Home Products No Further Action Letter FY24 Document (pdf) (164.61 KB)
TransChemical Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (318.25 KB)
TransChemical Notice of Noncompliance FY24 Document (pdf) (177.21 KB)
US Paint Corporation Final Air Inspection Report FY23 Document (pdf) (241.96 KB)
US Paint Corporation Expedited Settlement Agreement FY24 Document (pdf) (2.94 MB)

Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution (GMAP)

photo of GMAP vehicle

The National Enforcement Investigation Center is the environmental forensics center for EPA’s enforcement programs.

NEIC has a mobile air monitoring vehicle, called GMAP, that is equipped with analyzers for certain pollutants – methane; benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – as well as meteorological and GPS equipment. This combination of equipment allows for real-time monitoring and mapping of pollutants while the vehicle is in motion or stationary.

The GMAP’s real-time monitoring data allows EPA to screen large geographic areas for “hot spots” and helps to identify locations that need further investigation. A hot spot is an area of higher contaminant concentrations relative to other areas of a site.

  • GMAP Fact Sheet
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on February 3, 2025
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