DEQ orders malodorous beans gone

SANDPOINT — The residents of the Colburn Culver area should be relieved of their smelly plight before too much longer.

Lingering soybean spillage from an April train derailment is raising a stink as decomposition sets into the waste. These rotten beans are a matter of concern for Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials, who want them removed to protect the region’s ecological health. According to DEQ Waste and Remediation Manager Geoff Harvey, the department is asking that somewhere around 2,000 cubic yards of dirt mixed with a small amount of rotting soybeans be transported to an approved disposal site.

“This material is not inert by state regulatory standards,” Harvey said. “The easiest way to put it is the smell alone indicates it’s not inert.”

After a Union Pacific train derailment on April 1 spilled six carloads of soybeans into the environment, early cleanup efforts moved the majority of soybeans to an approved disposal site in Oregon. However, a small portion of the beans remained uncollected and mixed within a vast quantity of dirt in the area. Now those soybeans are rotting, and that creates both an environmental hazard and a quality of life issue for the people in the area. According to some residents, the smell is bad enough to keep them indoors.  

The main concern associated with the soybeans is a watery portion that leaks out when it decomposes. DEQ officials worry that this discharge could make its way into the groundwater, creating a more serious problem for regional environmental health. That consideration also scuttles the initial plan to bury the materials, since that approach would still leave the groundwater vulnerable.   

Clean-up crews have two weeks within the receipt of the notice to complete the transportation to a disposal site. However, that time frame is not necessarily set in stone.

“We’re somewhat flexible on that requirement,” Harvey said. “If that’s not reasonable and they can show us good reason why it isn’t, we’ll work with them.”

Nevertheless, the residents around Colburn Culver region at least have an idea of when to expect relief from the odor. Even so, the soybeans may not necessarily go gentle into that good night.

“We can’t guarantee it’s not going to generate a smell when they pull (those beans) back out,” Harvey said.