There's a science to sniffing the stenches of Des Moines, and the city will implement it into new training and testing as it aims to set odor control limits, said SuAnn Donavan, deputy director of the city's neighborhood services department.
At a Monday morning work session, Donovan updated City Council, the mayor and other officials on the effort to address some of the unpleasant smells that Des Moines dwellers have come to know. In recent years, residents have complained the city reeked of "dog poo" and worse on social media, and to the 24/7 odor hotline (515-244-0336), with inspectors pointing back to animal processing plants or farms spreading manure over fields.