Smelly plant sits untouched as case winds through courts

TALMO - More than 10 million gallons of putrid grease and water sit untouched at a shuttered waste recycling plant as the cleanup process for the facility remains mired in red tape.

The Agri-Cycle plant was closed six months ago by a Jackson County judge after a treatment pond caught fire and residents in Talmo complained of nauseating odors. But the plant's owner has appealed both the judge's decision and the state Environmental Protection Division order to clean up the property.

The federal government continues to investigate the plant, but officials won't comment on the probe.

The case is scheduled to go before the Georgia Supreme Court this year.
Agri-Cycle owner Richard Harville says he doesn't want to reopen the plant. He says he's appealing the court order to set the record straight in a situation he believes was driven by politics and not environmental law.