FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 Contact: Rob Clark, Michigan Sugar Company, 989-686-0161
Bay City residents alerted to potential odors
BAY CITY – Michigan Sugar Company has begun its annual project to clean the ponds used to store and treat water at the company’s Bay City sugarbeet processing factory. The work has the potential to create odors as sediment and organic material are removed from the ponds.
“Cleaning our water storage ponds is an important step as we prepare for our next sugarbeet processing campaign set to begin this fall,” said Mark Flegenheimer, President and CEO of Michigan Sugar Company. “We feel it is equally important to inform the community about this work as it has the potential to produce odors.”
Flegenheimer said Michigan Sugar Company remains committed to a goal of reducing odors through facility upgrades, new technology and new strategies. To that end, the company recently installed a $1.5 million, state-of-the-art centrifuge system that significantly reduces the amount and duration of sediment removal.
As part of its effort to better educate the public about sugar facility odors, Michigan Sugar Company makes available on its website answers to frequently asked questions about those odors. The “FAQs on Odors” can be accessed at www.michigansugar.com. Click on “Growing & Production” and “Resources” to find the link.
A copy of those questions and answers is included with this media release.
In addition, Michigan Sugar Company aims to better educate the public about operations at its Bay City factory by offering public tours during the sugarbeet processing season. Last year, during the inaugural season of public tours, Michigan Sugar Company welcomed 735 guests over 82 tours. The program is set to return in the fall. Sign up begins this summer under the “Community” tab on the Michigan Sugar website.
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