By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Lady’s Island residents say a foul odor linked to the Barnwell Resources Landfill has returned months after state regulators ordered corrective action, renewing concerns about air quality, health and the future of the community.
Neighbors first reported the smell in September, describing it as putrid and strong enough to affect hundreds of residents within roughly a two-mile radius of the landfill, which is owned and operated by Coastal Waste and Recycling LLC.
About a month later, residents said the odor intensified, seeping into homes and vehicles and clinging to clothing.
Many said the smell disrupted daily life and raised concerns about potential health impacts, particularly as the problem persisted.
Among those affected is Sumor O’Hara, who moved into the Telfair neighborhood off Beau Circle in April as a renter.
O’Hara said she previously lived elsewhere on Lady’s Island and has had no history of similar problems.
“Since moving into this neighborhood, I have experienced a noticeable and concerning decline in my health,” O’Hara wrote in an email to The Island News. “I have historically been very healthy, but since April I have missed approximately 10 days of work due to illness.”
O’Hara said she frequently wakes up with headaches and congestion, experiences recurring nausea and has had episodes of vomiting during the night.
“These issues have been persistent and troubling,” she wrote.
Another longtime resident, Rose Ewing, said the odor has become increasingly severe over the past six months.
Ewing has lived in the Royal Pines neighborhood for more than 25 years and said she had never experienced conditions like this before.
“In the past six months the stench has become unbearable,” Ewing said. “It woke us up at 5 a.m. while we were sleeping. We were convinced our septic system was backing up.”
Ewing said she and her family rushed through their home turning on lights and searching for a leak.
“There was none,” she said. “It was the dump.”
In an email sent to state officials, Ewing described the odor as strong enough to enter her home and wake her family from a “dead sleep.”
“That stench being so strong inside our home is unacceptable,” she wrote. “We have lived here for 26 years and want to see a change immediately.”
Ewing’s complaints have reached the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, which has acknowledged her concerns and said it was continuing its odor investigation in the community.
In an email response, Kristy T. Ellenberg, Director of Collaborative Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives in the agency’s Office of Environmental Affairs, said the department had shared Ewing’s message with Coastal Waste and Recycling, which owns and operates the landfill.
“As SCDES, we are committed to continuing our ongoing odor investigation and response in your community,” Ellenberg wrote.
Ellenberg said the landfill operator had submitted an odor abatement plan to the state and was “actively implementing corrective measures.”
She also encouraged residents to continue submitting complaints through the agency’s odor investigation reporting form, which the department uses to identify trends.
According to Ellenberg, SCDES plans to update its public community webpage covering the Telfair and Royal Pines neighborhoods and surrounding areas as part of the ongoing investigation.
The agency also shared weekly air monitoring summary reports with residents and provided a direct email address for Coastal Waste and Recycling for community questions and concerns.
State monitoring reports show that hydrogen sulfide — a colorless gas associated with a rotten-egg odor — has been detected in both landfill and community monitoring locations.
SCDES has said rainwater eroding soil covering construction debris at the landfill contributed to the emissions.
In October, state regulators required Coastal Waste and Recycling to submit a plan to reduce odors at the site. The company submitted the plan and began erosion repairs and additional maintenance.
State officials have said the maintenance work, including erosion repair and additional soil cover, is approximately 75% complete.
However, residents reviewing recent air monitoring data said elevated hydrogen sulfide levels have continued to appear in reports, including during periods when residents reported strong odors.
Beaufort County Councilman David Bartholomew, who represents the Lady’s Island district, said he is monitoring the situation and working to gather information.
Bartholomew said he has been reviewing residents’ complaints, monitoring social media discussions and communicating with relevant agencies as the odor concerns persist.
For Ewing, the issue is no longer just about discomfort.
“I don’t appreciate getting woken up in a panic expecting to see sewage in my home,” she said. “I’ve lived here more than two decades, and it’s never been this bad.”
Residents across multiple neighborhoods, including Royal Pines, Telfair and Walling Grove, have turned to homeowners’ association pages and local officials in recent weeks to share similar complaints and press for additional action.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
