AMERICAN FORK — The curve of I-15 between Lindon and American Fork is far from Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood, but thanks to the smell, it could perhaps be called "poo corner."

Luckily for businesses that have complained about the smell, the Timpanogos Special Service District is studying ways to handle the pervasive odor wafting from the waste-treatment plant located west of exit 275.

"We're aware that sometimes there are odors that are emitted," said Garland Mayne, district manager of the plant. "We've tried to operate the facility in the most efficient and economic way possible, but sometimes when they're doing composting and mixing, it does emit some odors."

The plant has one of the most successful composting projects in Utah, Mayne said. The plant treats, then composts 100 percent of the human and animal waste it receives into 503 Class A compost with no restrictions.

Translation: The compost can be used to fertilize anything from vegetable gardens to lawns, Mayne said.

The compost is made of two parts green waste and one part bio-solids — solid waste that has been treated — and it's environmentally friendly, Mayne said. The plant produced 6,000 tons of compost in 2005, which was then sold for fertilizer.

The plant also gives the cities it services — all of north Utah County except Lindon — free composting.

"That's been the most cost-effective way to get rid of bio-solids," Mayne said. "If we shut this project down, it would be a shame. So we're looking at other alternatives."

Among other options, the service district is considering shipping the bio-solids to another area for composting to cut down on the smell.

However, Mayne says, it would be too expensive to move the plant, which has been at the same location for some 28 years — long before other businesses arrived in that part of Utah Valley.

Mayne said the service district has been discussing "odor easements" and approaches to dealing with the problem for at least five years, but up until about three months ago, no formal complaints about olfactory offenses had been made.

But recent development in the area, coupled with an exponential increase in population of the north part of the county, has contributed to the problem — and nearby businesses and motorists on I-15 have smelled the effects.

"Yesterday, when the wind kicked off, oh my goodness, the customers were asking us, 'What is this?'" said Ernie Hasna, a used car manager for Ken Garff Ford in American Fork. Though Hasna said the smell doesn't affect car sales, it does sometimes affect the workers.

One time, Hasna said, the smell was so bad inside the office building the employees were sent home. And that was after they flushed all the toilets and sprayed Febreze — all to no noticeable effect.

City planners of neighboring Pleasant Grove also have concerns about the impact the plant's presence is having on development of the area.

"Nobody wants to go shopping for food and smell the after-effects of food," said Pleasant Grove Mayor Michael Daniels. "It needs to be dealt with, but as long as developers see we're actively working to solve the problem, then we'll be OK. But it definitely has to be dealt with."

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E-mail: achoate@desnews.com