ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A persistent foul odor coming from a facility that processes human waste in St. Johns County has caused outcry from nearby neighbors — and now, the company behind the operation is responding.
The Indianhead Biomass facility, located near Morgan’s Cove on County Road 214, has been under scrutiny from neighbors who say it’s producing an unbearable smell, especially during operational hours.
“We want to have clean air here. We want for all of this to stop,” said homeowner Heather, who lives nearby.
Another neighbor, Michael Davis, added, “I like for my family and relatives to come to my house and I wouldn’t be embarrassed and they wouldn’t feel sorry for me.”
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The company said the odor is coming from biosolids like sewage sludge, which are processed on-site into an agricultural soil enhancer. Heather Neville, a spokesperson for Indianhead, confirmed this, stating, “As far as biosolids go, when they are delivered, they do have a scent. There is no lack of understanding on that part.”
Neville further explained the process: “When you flush a toilet, it goes to a treatment facility. It goes through a huge process. It is then brought to our facility from those government facilities, and that is a biosolid. So we are not dealing with straight fecal matter or anything like that.”
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Indianhead has operated in the area since 2007 and began composting biosolids in 2018. In response to complaints, the company has also addressed multiple violations noted by the county. Neville said that recent weekend operations were part of an emergency response after another waste handler, FCC Environmental Services, stopped picking up yard waste and trash.
Regarding reported fire hazards, Neville said smoldering during biosolid composting is part of the standard procedure. She did acknowledge one violation related to pile height: “The only thing that we did have that has been rectified since then, which is why we are back open, is that our piles were 45 feet instead of 35 feet.”
Two homeowners, through their lawyer, sent a letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requesting it hold a public hearing on issues with Indianhead despite recently renewing its permit.
In response to the backlash, Indianhead said it is launching an educational campaign aimed at informing county commissioners and residents about its operations and the science behind biosolid composting.
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