JACKSONVILLE, Fla — (The video above is from a previous story)
A study to pinpoint the source of a 'noxious' odor causing problems in the Murray Hill area has been approved by the Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Lenny Curry.
The resolution states more than $125,000 in from the city's environmental protection fund will go toward a study by the company Envirosuite. The company is an 'environmental intelligence' software company that plans to use technology like sensors to collect data 24/7.
In February Envirosuite representatives told the Environmental Protection Board they were doing a similar study in Denver. They said the study could take about a year.
Reports of an odor stretching miles from the Murray Hill area date back years.
In July a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Murray Hill homeowners against IFF Chemical Holdings and International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., claiming a Jacksonville factory's stench is destroying their way of life.
The three plaintiffs say a "noxious" odor from an IFF factory on Lane Avenue has lowered their property values and keeps them trapped inside their homes. Their attorney was seeking class action status and says she still will be.
IFF representatives deny the Lane Avenue factory is the source of the odor.
IFF spokesman Michael Munz said earlier this year the company is in compliance with its air emissions permit and pointed to a study conducted by an IFF consultant.