The Idaho State Department of Environmental Quality helps clarify what the strong odor is that people in Kuna have been complaining about for weeks.
"It's an odor that very people have ever smelt before," said Aaron Scheff of the Boise Regional Office. "It's at an intensity that very few people will ever experience."
Many of the concerns Six on Your Side have received inquired about whether this smell is dangerous, and so far there isn't any evidence to suggest that it is.
The Kuna Fire Department has responded to many of the calls using a five-point monitor system to test for five different types of dangerous gases, so far they haven't found any positive readings and that also includes at the L&R Environmental site.
"That is an important point because one would suspect the concentration to the highest at the source," said Scheff.
Since the odor was discovered at the beginning of August at a lagoon at L&R Environmental the company immediately used measures to try to combat the smell, in the following weeks they have spent more than $100,000 to stop the odor.
"They have been incredibly responsive, they have worked well with us," said Scheff of the DEQ. "They did violate our odor threshold, they are voluntarily updating their odor management and they are working with us so this problem doesn't happen again."
However, despite attempts to mitigate the odor, it remains mainly because of other factors, most notably a change in the weather is needed to move out the smell and the smoke that has lingered near Kuna.
Scheff said that the smoke causes a much higher level of concern for the health and welfare of the people in Kuna and the surrounding areas.
