(The following story by Jake Krob appeared on the Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Sun website on November 7.)
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Linn County Health Department says the fishy smell that hung over the Mount Vernon-Lisbon area last week was caused by a maintenance process used by the Union Pacific Railroad, and compounded by a weather event.
Dustin Hinrich, an air pollution control specialist with the county health department, told the Sun Monday afternoon that at this point his investigation is complete following numerous complaints of a smell in the air on Halloween night and into Thursday morning, Nov. 1.
He said what was reported by citizens is consistent with Union Pacific’s explanation that it was maintaining the tracks in this area Halloween night. The maintenance, Hinrichs said, involves a full train going over the tracks. He said he learned from the railroad Monday that one of the first cars places a lubricant on the tracks, a couple of them grind the tracks, and water is put on the tracks at the end. Hinrichs did not know the composition of the lubricant.
Hinrichs added that on Thursday morning, Nov. 1, there was a meteorological event known as temperature inversion that “did not allow the air to circulate” and the smell “got more and more stagnant.” He said the weather changed and by noon that day, the odor had pretty well dissipated.
The health department, Mount Vernon City Hall and Lisbon City Hall all received complaints about the smell.
Thursday morning, Nov. 1, Hinrichs arrived to investigate what people described as smelling “fishy” and like “burnt oil.”
Hinrichs drove around the area, smelling it himself, and spoke to city officials and the few manufacturers in the area. He said the smell was concentrated near the tracks. He walked a stretch of the railroad from the western border of Mount Vernon to Hwy. 1, and another stretch in Lisbon. He said there was no sign of any chemical or other substance, but that it was clear the smell was from the tracks.
Furthermore, he said people reported a “whizzing” sound on Halloween night, consistent with the maintenance process.
“If we’re here for anyone, we’re here for the citizens of Linn County,” Hinrichs said of his office. But, he added, the railroad was “within its bounds.”
He added that if there are more complaints about the situation in the future, more investigation may occur.