SPRINGFIELD, GA — The City of Springfield is providing an update regarding the significant industrial odor experienced throughout Springfield and surrounding areas during the September 6th, 2026 event.
Following the event, Springfield City Manager Lauren Eargle, along with other local government staff and officials, met with DRT America Plant Manager Keith Wharton to better understand what occurred at the facility, the cause of the odor, and potential measures to reduce the likelihood or impact of similar events in the future.
The technical information regarding DRT’s operations included below reflects explanations provided by DRT during that meeting.
September 6th, 2026 Event and Source of the Odor
According to DRT, the facility experienced an unexpected power outage lasting approximately two to two-and-a-half hours. DRT attributed the outage to an electrical transmission-line issue outside of its control and characterized the event as an “act of God.”
DRT explained that shorter outages of 10, 20, or 30 minutes are generally easier to recover from. During the prolonged September 6th, 2026 outage, however, the facility’s pneumatic system lost pressure, causing valves to move into predetermined “fail open” or “fail closed” positions as part of the plant’s emergency failsafe system.
DRT’s “200s” process is its only reactive process. During the emergency shutdown, water was automatically introduced into two process tanks to quench any potential reaction. The material involved included pretreated sulfide turpentine (PST). The resulting diluted process water was flushed into an exterior, open concrete containment basin on DRT’s property.
According to DRT, the diluted process water in the open-air basin resulted in the odor experienced throughout Springfield and surrounding areas. Once power was restored and the facility returned to the appropriate operating temperature, DRT explained that the material could be recovered from the basin and returned to the plant’s process.
Backup Power and Emergency Planning
DRT advised local officials that its backup scrubber is connected to a generator, allowing the scrubber to continue operating during power interruptions and helping control odors during shorter outages. The September 6th, 2026 outage lasted long enough, however, to trigger the broader failsafe shutdown.
When asked about additional backup power, Wharton stated, “Backup power is something we are looking into,” and it was described as being “on the radar.” DRT did not provide a specific commitment or timeline for installation.
DRT also explained that forecasted events, such as hurricanes, allow personnel to proactively shut down the plant and manually close valves before a potential power loss, reducing the likelihood of the same type of odor event. The September 6th, 2026 event differed because the power loss was unexpected and prolonged.
Environmental Monitoring and Local Enforcement
DRT advised local officials that it reported the September 6th, 2026 event to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). DRT also stated that EPD maintains continuous air monitoring on the southwest portion of the property and that it is not aware of a reported exceedance of applicable air-quality limits at that monitoring location.
DRT explained that this monitoring is separate from stack testing of individual processes, which is not continuous. DRT also maintains that the September 6th, 2026 power outage was an “act of God” and, according to its interpretation, is treated differently under its state air permit.
The City is sharing DRT’s explanation and is not independently interpreting its state environmental permit or making a determination regarding compliance with that permit. Those responsibilities rest with the appropriate regulatory agencies and are currently under review.
State environmental permitting and Springfield’s local requirements are separate matters.
Following the September 6th, 2026 event, the Springfield Police Department issued DRT a citation pursuant to the City’s Code.
Springfield Evaluating Additional Safeguards
The City is developing a proposed amendment to its industrial zoning regulations addressing backup power and emergency preparedness for certain heavy industrial uses, particularly chemical processing, reactive materials, and other operations where an unexpected prolonged loss of power could impact surrounding properties.
Springfield has also suggested that DRT consider replacing or supplementing the existing open concrete containment basin with an enclosed storage tank or other enclosed containment system for process water generated during an emergency shutdown. Based on DRT’s explanation, limiting the diluted process water’s exposure to open air could provide an additional safeguard against off-site odors.
These measures remain under discussion. DRT has not provided the City with a commitment or timeline for either additional facility-wide backup power or enclosed containment. Any proposed changes to Springfield’s industrial zoning ordinance will proceed through the appropriate public review and adoption process.
The City appreciates DRT management meeting with local officials and providing additional information regarding the September 6th, 2026 event. Springfield will continue working with DRT, other local government partners, EPD, and appropriate regulatory agencies to gather information, enforce the regulations within the City’s authority, and evaluate reasonable measures to reduce future off-site impacts.
The City’s goal is not simply to understand what occurred during the September 6th, 2026 event, but to use that information to identify reasonable safeguards that can better protect Springfield and surrounding areas in the future.