DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) — Lifelong Deer Park resident Ron Anderson said recurring bad odors shouldn’t make people feel discouraged; he wants them to feel alive. He said that just because you live around the industry, doesn’t mean you should live a life negatively affected by it.

“It will come and stay until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and you just won’t want to go outside,” Anderson said.

Ron said that over the past few years, odors and smells have been more common in his community.

“You just can’t stand the smell,” said Ron.

Ron called, reported and raised the alarm, but says his efforts were to no avail.

“When we get the smell, I think about calling, but then again I think about the history we’ve had with calls,” Anderson said.

Anderson is not alone. Others sounded the alarm online this week about a particularly chemical smell.

ABC13 reached out to the Texas City and Galveston County emergency management offices and Harris County Pollution Control. They all said they’ve received reports this week of a disturbing smell, but no one can say where it’s coming from.

Harris County Pollution Control said the description of the smell leads them to believe it is a combination of chemicals. They are monitoring the air but have not found the source and believe it is not from Harris County.

Anderson said that’s the frustrating part. There will be a smell, but crews may not come for hours. The wind will change, the smell will disappear, and the source remains a mystery. He hopes more people calling might prompt a faster response. He also hopes that a big push from the community could lead to more accountability from industry in the area.

“Otherwise, these industries may not be realizing the impact. Maybe the realization, “Hey, this affects a lot of people.” Maybe they’ll review the procedures on how they handle these chemicals or whatever it is and say, “We’re going to put in an aromatics management system to reduce this.” Because if you don’t live it, you don’t think about it,” Anderson said.

If you smell anything strange, you are encouraged to contact your local EOM or Harris County Pollution Control.

For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson Facebook, X and Instagram.