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A pig peeks out from a pen at R.C. Farms in North Las Vegas. The farm's owner, Robert Combs, is facing $69,000 in fines stemming from complaints about odors in his neighborhood. Photo by John Gurzinski. R.C. Farms owner Robert Combs, left, sits with sons James, middle, and Clint at his home in North Las Vegas. Combs says he and his sons constantly clean out the pens to control odors at the farm. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Monday, September 16, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Pig farm's neighbors turn up their noses

Fines for bad odors add up to $69,000 for NLV farmer

Robert Combs, a lifelong farmer who has run his business in North Las Vegas for about 40 years, is facing $69,000 in fines because his pigs stink.

The fines levied by the Clark County Air Quality Department stem from complaints reported by neighbors who say the onerous odors wafting through their yards from the farm are a nuisance. The fines have increased nearly $50,000 in the past six months as new notices of violation have been filed and as more homes have been built in the surrounding area.

"It just seems like the better job we do of keeping the odors down, the closer the public moves to our farm," Combs said.

For about a year, Combs' family-run R.C. Farms has been wrangling with the Clark County Air Quality Department over "odor nuisance" violations, which the farmer says are unfair.

Combs plans to contest the fines at a public hearing Sept. 25 in the Clark County Commission chambers.

But county officials said they are less interested in collecting fines than in stifling the stench.

Catherine Jorgenson, the deputy district attorney representing the air quality department, said fines go to the Clark County School District and don't pay for air pollution remedies.

"A compromise could be part of what comes out of the hearing," she said. "We could agree to reduce the penalties if they agree to resolve the issues."

But several steps have been taken to reduce the odor.

Combs said he and his sons, Clint and James, constantly clean out the pens. The family also takes into account the weather and the time of day when using odor-causing procedures to help prevent an assault on neighbors' senses.

The county hired a consultant from the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center at North Carolina State University to figure out how to help the Combs family.

In the report, completed earlier this year, consultant Mike Williams analyzed the farm's manure management system and feed practices. He characterized the swine odor as "slightly to moderately offensive" on the day of his visit.

Williams recommended only moderate adjustments to the farm's operation. He concluded that most of the state-of-the-art technologies employed on farms across the country "will be inappropriate or limited for the R.C. Farms Inc. site."

"Based on this author's experience, the subjectivity and stringency of the (air quality regulations), and projections that residential homes will in the future be located closer to the boundary of this farm site, implementation of these technologies are also not likely to ensure full compliance with the existing regulations."

In other words, there's not much more anyone can do.

R.C. Farms' corporate attorney Dirk Ravenholt said he believes the farm and the county will reach a compromise.

"I don't think R.C. Farms deserves the fines," he said, adding that the county under state law probably won't be able to force Combs to pay. By state statute, the farm has been grandfathered into an agricultural zone, which would be exempt from odor nuisance codes.

The county's air quality regulations define an odor nuisance as "anything that is injurious to health, offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the reasonable and comfortable enjoyment of life."

Clint Combs contends such a definition is too subjective to enforce.

"It might stink to some people, but it smells like home to me," he said. "And it doesn't hurt anything."

The farm, which sits on unincorporated county land in the middle of North Las Vegas, is home to between 4,000 and 6,000 pigs that consume tons of Strip buffet-line table scraps until they are big enough to be sold for slaughter.

The city and county, meanwhile, are home to the country's fastest-growing areas and are struggling to meet the ever-increasing demands for building space and homes.

"Historically, there's been the concept of coming to the nuisance. If people choose to live there, it's their fault," Jorgenson said. "Now, there's also the idea that we're a growing city, growing county and we need space for people to live. In a sense, it's a higher cause. The farm, on the other hand, is an outdated, outmoded throwback."

Combs disagrees.

"We're in the recycling business," he said. "We provide food and recycle casino table scraps at the same time. We're good for the environment."

Ravenholt said he believes the benefits of recycling the table scraps from some 1 million tourists a month outweigh the drawback of the farm's odors.

"All 1 million tourists don't clean their plate," he said. "We could put that all in a landfill or recycle it. I think our local society would prefer we recycle as much as possible."