WHAT’S THAT SMELL?
This week, are you smelling an odor like fertilizer? Here is information from the City’s Public Works Director Steve Schuller about biosolids and what you’re smelling in Oak Harbor:
The City is moving “biosolids” from the 75 acre Freedom Park off Gun Club Road to the City’s 60 acre Municipal Shop off NE 16th Avenue. This is in preparation as the city is finalizing plans for a new trail system and disc golf courses at Freedom Park.
As detailed by the Washington State Department of Ecology, “Biosolids are a nutrient-rich product of Washington’s wastewater treatment systems. They're a soil amendment farmers and land managers can use in place of commercial fertilizers. They're also used in the manufacturing of some fertilizers and as a component of compost, topsoil, and similar products.
“Just as you might have to put up with the smell of fertilizer when you’re getting your yard ready for spring, the City is doing its part to nurture our public spaces.” Steve Schuller
The work will be completed this week. The smell will pass, but the benefits of enriched soil and thriving green spaces will last throughout the year.
