BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

LAWRENCE -- A foul stench permeates the air, water in the Deer River continues to be polluted and wildlife continue to die off in the towns of Lawrence and Brasher.

For James Gurrola, a Lawrence resident of 33 years, it all came to a head when he and his wife were attempting to have a picnic with his daughter earlier this year.

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back for us. We had to go inside because the stench was so bad. My daughter asked me if there was anything that could be done and I just told her 'honey, your dad is going to do something about this'," he said.

Gurrola said there had always been a certain smell in the area that was the byproduct of the dairy processing plant and its three lagoons nearby.  

"When they were making cottage cheese, it was far different. The lagoons weren't as full and the smell wasn't nearly as bad," he said.

But the plant now makes Greek yogurt, he said and the lagoons are at maximum capacity.

"It all changed in the last couple of years. That's when it got to the peak of the smell," he said.

Each lagoon is the size of a couple football fields, he said.

"They're huge. There is so much in them that we are left to wonder if it is seeping into the ground. We want to know if it is getting into our wells," he said.

Gurrola said he and a neighbor recently legally accessed property near the lagoons to view them. What they found was worse than they expected, he said.

"There was no life near them, no wildlife. The stench is unbearable and your eyes water when you're around it. In one spot it looked like the waste was coming out of the lagoon and getting into the old railroad bed," he said.

Gurrola said he wasn't sure if any filtering of the waste in the lagoons was required or being done but suggested the plant should at least consider it.

"Look, we're not trying to shut them down. We're not trying to cost anyone their jobs. We just want accountability with what is happening there. We just want to be able to go outside on our own property and have a picnic. We just want to know that our well water is safe to drink. We honestly don't even know what to test for," he said.

That's because the Department of Environmental Conservation has not informed residents of what exactly is contaminating the river.

North Country This Week has sought comment from DEC officials on multiple occasions but have not yet received a reply as of press time.

One theory is whey byproduct from the dairy plant. Another is runoff from an area farm along the river.

But Gurrola said he has raised concerns about the town's sewer processing plant.

"It's a 35-year-old raised leach field. It's not the sort of thing other towns and villages are using anymore," he said.

Gurrola said he owns five rental properties in town, with two sitting along the Deer River and two near the sewer treatment leach fields.

He says his tenants have also voiced concerns and frustrations with the conditions, something he wants to rectify for them as well.

"I have a handful of tenants in these properties. It isn't fair to them to smell that either. We have so many people affected by this and the town and everyone else involved need to step up to fix this," he said.

Gurrola commented that if tenants were to leave due to the smell, he would still be on the hook for his property and school taxes.

"I'd be out money because of the smell not being taken care of but I'd still be on the hook to pay my taxes regardless. That's another reason we need the town, the DEC and everyone else to step up," he said.

Gurrola said he's spoken to dozens of affected residents along the river, each of whom has raised the same concerns.

"We don't want to close the plant down. We don't want anyone to lose their jobs. All we are asking is for someone to step up and fix the pollution of the river, to get rid of the smell and ensure that our wells aren't being contaminated with runoff. I don't think we're asking a whole lot," he said.