LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Clark County Department of Air Quality reported 111 complaints, all about one Henderson business. Neighbors of the Black Mountain Ranch say a nearby commercial plant often stinks up their neighborhood. Some compare it to dryer sheets.
“Two or three times this afternoon they came and went, came and went, came and went, came and went,” said Michael Vlavic, president of the Black Mountain Range HOA, when FOX5 visited the area.
“Actually, it’s more of a perfume. We had an air conditioning service guy the other day and he thought I was wearing perfume,” Vlavic said. Sometimes the smell is so strong, people are forced inside.
“You’ll get sore throats and everything from it,” Vlavic said.
Vlavic believes that it has been going on for the past two years and that the smell is coming from the nearby Poly-West plant.
“They make good-smelling garbage bags,” Vlavic said. Vlavic tried to go to the business near I-11 and Nevada State Drive to ask what chemicals might be in the air, but had no luck.
We wanted to know what was in the steam we were breathing… A neighbor and I tried to drive over there to see if we could talk to someone directly, but we couldn’t get past the guards at the gate. “If you try to call unless you know the extension or you don’t know who to call, there’s no live person to talk to,” Vlavic said.
He told FOX5 from inside the Clark County air traffic control room.
As of 1 September 2020, our Air Quality Unit has received and investigated 111 complaints about Polly West. A complaint is confirmed as foul odor and leads to a Notice of Violation (NOV). We have issued a second NOV due to a full compliance review for the period 2 November 2018 – 5 November 2020. We have found that Polly West uses perfumed capsules in their dispensers, which is an unauthorized practice.
Those NOVs were issued on November 25, 2020 and December 9, 2020. The Department of Air Quality has entered into a Consensus Agreement with PolyWest, which has agreed to install and operate a Recuperative Catalytic Oxidizer to control odor-causing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC). Emissions from the facility at a cost of approximately $650,000. They also paid a reduced fine of $5,832.
In April of this year, our compliance officers conducted a walk-through of the Poly West facility and discovered an odor on the roof of the facility. PolyWest was issued a written warning for inadequate odor control and was asked to respond by developing a comprehensive plan to address the concerns identified in the warning.
Our compliance officers carried out a monitoring process on 1 June 2022 and observed that the concerns are being addressed by PolyWest. They were asked to submit monthly progress updates on their plans to the air quality department, which they obliged. Polywest is currently complying with all air quality regulations and operating within the air permit parameters.
In the year In 2021, our compliance department conducted 776 stationary source inspections. We continue to respond to all complaints – over 99% are resolved within the first 24 hours. For more information on what constitutes an odor violation, please see Section 43 of our Air Quality Regulations: Odors in the atmosphere.
But Vlavic said the smell is still wafting into their neighborhood and he wants it to be for good.
“My wife is very sensitive to the smell, so I wish she would be in a good mood again… She won’t go out… If it wasn’t for the smell, I don’t think we would go. I am concerned,” argued Vlavic.
FOX5 tried to reach Polly-West but their phone was not answered in the area. We then sent an email to their corporate office. As of this writing, we have heard nothing.
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