BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – A nonprofit group aimed at getting relief from the odors emanating from the Bristol, Virginia Landfill is seeking funding for air monitoring equipment.

HOPE for Bristol President Joel Kellogg made his pitch to the Bristol, Tennessee City Council for $15,000 of equipment at a Tuesday evening work session.

“What we’re looking at is real-time, 24/7 air monitoring for several different compounds,” Kellogg told News Channel 11.

Even as Bristol, Virginia works to remedy the smell and prepare the landfill for complete closure, Kellogg said HOPE for Bristol and several residents are concerned about the gases escaping the landfill and what they’re breathing at home.

Kellogg said the $15,000 would pay for two Sensit environmental monitors that detect volatile organic compounds and other particles in the air.

He said the air monitoring network would fill a gap in reporting by Bristol, Virginia, which has only provided air monitoring samples on a monthly basis from data collected on a single day, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s page on the landfill.

Kellogg said that gap is the primary reason HOPE for Bristol is pursuing 24/7 monitoring.

“We just can’t take for granted that Bristol, Virginia, or the State of Virginia even, will actually make that happen for us,” Kellogg said. “It’s imperative for us, for the citizens of Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee that we get some type of air monitoring in place.”

HOPE for Bristol has done some preliminary testing with different units. A pilot program is planned with the Sensit units.

“We’re a small organization,” Kellogg said. “We have one shot at this. We want to evaluate any equipment before it’s purchased.”

The organization has already been awarded $20,000 for the project from Appalachian Voices, a regional environmental-based nonprofit.

The Appalachian Voices funding came from an EPA Community Grant, but it has not been determined when HOPE for Bristol will receive the money.

Matt Hepler, an environmental scientist for the nonprofit, says the project will let more people know what’s happening.

“I’m a big, big advocate of citizen science,” Hepler said. “I believe that all people should have access to as much data as possible when it comes to the environment.”

Kellogg said the plan is to have six air monitors installed around Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia if all funding is approved.

“We want to surround the landfill definitely,” Kellogg said. “Got to keep an eye on the beast, North, South, East and West, and then we’d like a couple in heavily affected communities as well.”

Kellogg said he would like to work with Sensit to have the data accessible to the public 24/7.

As work continues at the landfill that could stir up the release of gases, he says the system can alert citizens if certain compounds are detected.

“In real-time, we can set up alerts so when these units detect an alert of any of these several different chemicals, then they can alert us,” Kellogg said.

The Bristol, Tennessee City Council will vote on the funding at a later time.