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Jefferson Parish residents angry during public meeting held about foul odor

"They brought people in to spin! And so we're opening the doors! So they can smell what we smell," Pearson said.

RIVER RIDGE, La. — Jefferson Parish residents say they left with more questions than answers after attending a public meeting about odor concerns at John Curtis Christian School Tuesday night. 

"The DEQ is passing the buck," one woman screamed at Eyewitness News. 

"I can't take anymore listening to all of this bull. That is all this is," River Ridge resident Kelly Knowles said. 

RELATED: New piping may help odor JP residents are smelling

Hundreds of people from Harahan, Waggaman, River Ridge and Kenner wanted to know when the foul smell and dust particles would stop, but no direct answer from officials left them frustrated. 

Nancy Pearson with the organization Concerned Residents of Harahan/River Ridge helped organize the public meeting. 

"They brought people in to spin! And so we're opening the doors! So they can smell what we smell," Pearson said. 

Members of the DEQ and the Jefferson Parish landfill spoke about their latest findings. Contractors hired to clean up the landfill told the crowd that they were working on new gas systems to help alleviate some of the issues found at the parish landfill. They say they installed extra pipes to drain the liquid waste. 

RELATED: Jefferson council members consider calling EPA to investigate lingering odor

However, when asked if the odor would go away by the end of the month, the contractors did not give a clear answer, leaving many in the crowd visibly upset. 

Another problem cited during the meeting is the midstream offloading of cargo from tankers to barges, which leads to dust particles floating in the air. 

"Last July, ARTCO (American River Transportation Company) was cited by DEQ for having that crane and that bucket releasing it too high in the air. It would be like, grabbing sand on the beach and letting it go right here in the wind and of course it's gonna go places," State Representative Kirk Talbot said. 

Knowles says he's frustrated with the DEQ. He says they came to his house to collect dust particles and to this day he is now getting any information. 

RELATED: JP Landfill makes Lakeside Mall's holiday display

"They came to my house and took numerous samples off of my mailbox. They found fly ash grain starch. They found asbestos they found human tissue. The only thing he's mentioned is mold. They're absolutely covering up and lying about this," Knowles said. 

As residents filed out after the two-hour meeting, many said they were leaving with more questions than answers. 

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