Editorial: Domtar taking steps to address odor problem

"If you've lived in Kingsport for any length of time, you've likely grown accustomed to the odors of industry. However, a new smell has been detected in recent months, and for the people living and working in the downtown area, the stench is becoming more than a nuisance."That paragraph perfectly describes the current situation in downtown Kingsport, which we reported in last Saturday's Weekender.But it wasn't published in that edition, or any other edition this year or last. Fact is, it was written nearly a decade ago, on Sept. 3, 2015, to be precise.And we can look much further back in time to find other reports on odors permeating downtown Kingsport.For instance, nearly 50 years ago Southern Exposure magazine referenced a phrase often heard in Kingsport then, as well as decades before and since, that Kingsport "smells like money," a reference to its industrial base which continues to employ thousands.In 1978, Dr. Joseph Smiddy was interviewed by Southern Exposure about its report that "no visitor to Kingsport can miss the fact that the town smells" because "with a population of 33,000, Kingsport is the industrial center of mainly rural and agricultural upper east Tennessee."Earlier in 1978, this newspaper carried a front-page report of a survey among residents of the Kingsport area."Thirty-nine percent of city residents placed air pollution at the top of their list of most severe problems. The figure rose to 46% among those city residents who are also members of civic clubs, and 50% among residents outside the city. No other problem came near the agreement about dirty air."The air is vastly cleaner today than in 1978 even with a population almost double what it was then. But it still stinks.In 2015 that "new smell" was never identified, but this time, a local industry has stepped up. The smell comes from Domtar's Kingsport Mill, which last year began production after transitioning from uncoated freesheet paper to manufacturing containerboard made from 100% recycled cardboard.What's causing the odor? The same process that is stinking up Catawba, South Carolina. In 2021, the New Indy Catawba paper mill transformed from manufacturing magazines and catalogs to containerboard using — as with Domtar in Kingsport — lagoons.The hydrogen sulfate emissions from the plant spread a foul odor into several counties at the border of South Carolina, North Carolina and Catawba Indian Nation, and within three months, the state received 17,000 complaints about the odor.Troy Wilson, manager of Domtar's Kingsport Mill, said the smell is coming from a 27-acre wastewater treatment plant also referred to as a lagoon. He said Domtar is considering processes to take care of the odor including long- and short-term solutions. He added that Domtar is working on expediting the process to meet the levels of concern from the community."We understand the sensitivity to the community. That's why we're expediting this, we want happy citizens," Wilson said. "We want to belong in this community. We want the community to want us to be here."Domtar officials provided an update on the plans at the Kingsport Economic Development Board's regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.Wilson noted that in the span of six weeks, the company went from having no program in place to committing $1 million to a solution.Kingsport Mayor Pat Shull said he believes Domtar is working in "good faith" on the issue."The board is fully aware of the citizens' concerns, not only regarding the odor, but the trucks that take the wrong route and all those things," Shull said. "I just want to say simply that we believe that Domtar is working in good faith, and we appreciate their efforts, and we think there will be a solution."Domtar is to be commended for its transparency, which hasn't always been the case with Kingsport's historic smells.Nearly 50 years ago Southern Exposure magazine referenced a phrase often heard in Kingsport then, as well as decades before and since, that Kingsport "smells like money."