Residents and business-owners surrounding Northglenn's Waste Water Treatment Plant on Weld County Road 2 have recently learned that the extremely foul odors put out by the plant are due to twenty years of neglect, improper design and mismanagement.

Now, farms, homes and businesses in parts of Northglenn, Thornton, Adams, County,Weld County and surrounding areas are suffering "an almighty stink."

Complaints have even come from shoppers visiting the new, multi-million dollar Larkridge Retail Shopping Center at I-25 andU.S. 7. The smells has caused some to flee the center holding their collective noses.

The stench affects all the homes and businesses within a mile or so of the plant. Noxious fumes flow whenever the breeze is right, and this happens several times a day and night. Occasionally, odors are so intense that people have been awakened at night with headaches, nausea and difficult breathing.

Barbeques, backyard meals, working in open garages or holding family gatherings are out of the question. Often, residents cannot sit on their own porches nor enjoy their yards and gardens for risk of being sent gagging, back indoors. Since windows and doors must remain tightly closed, homeowners' energy costs have soared without the natural ventilation. Northglenn's mismangement has spoiled the quality of life for many and severely diminished their property values.

Personal complaints to Northglenn officials, David Allen, Amy Ward, Karl Heil, Jerry Starling, and Leslie Cullens yielded lots of excuses but no solutions. It has taken complaints to the EPA, Colorado Pollution Control, Weld County Health Organization, Colorado Health Department,and Colorado Water Control Commission to finally get Northglenn's attention. But, in spite of promises there still has been no real improvement.