PT Odor ReportsSend an odor report to WA State Department of Ecology
Smell odors from the paper mill? Kraft paper processes at Port Townsend Paper Company emit sulfur detectable in the air. Report odor incidents. Why we are tracking this.
Fill out a brief odor report
Your report is sent to the Washington State Department of Ecology, this project and Citizens for Safe Water and Air.
Leaving your name and email lets Ecology follow up with you about your report. An anonymous report contains nothing identifying about you.
Your report is sent directly from this website and becomes part of the official record. You'll get a copy if you included your email address.
What happens with your report
Your report goes to the Washington State Department of Ecology as an official complaint. Ecology may release it in response to a public records request. If you choose to remain anonymous, no identifying information is included.
A copy of your report is saved by this project so the community has its own record. This makes it possible to share anonymized data without requesting it in batch from the Department of Ecology. For example, a chart visualizing the number or reports made on a given day.
Why we're tracking odor reports
Community reports prompt the Department of Ecology to check emissions readings at the Port Townsend Paper Corporation mill and adds to the official record of when and where odors are affecting residents.
In 2024, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released a report after studying air quality around the mill and confirmed what residents have reported for years: short-term spikes in sulfur compounds that coincide with odor complaints and can cause acute respiratory irritation. Current regulations mostly look at daily or annual averages — which means these short, intense spikes can happen without triggering any official response. That's where you come in. Every report helps build a real record of how these emissions are affecting the community and makes a stronger case for regulation.
What exactly is that smell?
The diagram below shows approximate proportions of each emission type found in an average emissions plume from PTPC, based on data from ATSDR's EI in 2018. The image is not reflective of how the emissions mix in a plume.
