The Environmental Protection Agency and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have both told Hall the material isnt dangerous, because its supposed to be Grade A biowaste, not raw sewage (which is also the reason for the unique smell).
Shes willing to take them at their word, but that doesnt mean she and other Parrish residents arent concerned.
Other than it smelling absolutely terrible, I have to trust them that its not going to hurt you, she said. But if you have asthma or COPD or breathing problems, what is that going to do to you? [The rail yard] is probably less than 50 yards away from homes. What happens if flies get into someones house? Is that not a public health issue?
Hall said her colleagues in the capital city of Montgomery have asked her not to file an injunction against the landfill, not that it would be a smart idea anyway; if they went to court over the matter, the other matter would just sit there, stinking up Parrish, until the trial was over.
So, in short, nobody knows when the poop will be moved.
Im just getting little bits and pieces of information, and I cannot tell you how frustrating it is, Hall said. My understanding is, they are really trying to work on the problem, and they keep telling us the situation is almost over.
Hall hasnt been in contact with Big Sky for a few weeks. When she first spoke to the company, when the cars of waste were just beginning to be stockpiled in Parrishs rail yard, they told her it would take seven to 10 days to move them out. That was two months ago.
CNN contacted Big Sky and is waiting to receive comment.
Parrish isnt the only town on the waste route that has been dealing with the fetid fallout. According to AL.com, residents in Birmingham were livid when at least 80 train cars full of the sludge came to a stop in their city in January.
Hall said, at one point, there were 252 tractor-trailer loads of the stuff stockpiled in her town.
People need to understand that this waste does not need to be in a populated area, she said. There are places to put it, industrial places. Were a very small town caught in the middle of this, and I feel like thats part of the issue here. This shouldnt be happening.