The "Aroma of Tacoma", also known as the Tacoma Aroma, is a
putrid and unpleasant odor associated with
Tacoma, Washington, United States.[1] The smell has been described as similar to the odor of rotten eggs.[2] The odor is not noticeable throughout the city, but is rather concentrated in the Tacoma Tideflats and is frequently smelled by motorists traveling that section of
Interstate 5.[2]
History and origins
The odor has been commonly known by the name "Aroma of Tacoma" since at least the early 1940s. However, there are instances of the word "aroma" being associated with Tacoma dating back to 1901 when local resident
George Francis Train penned a civic cheer:[3][4]
Seattle! Seattle! Death Rattle, Death Rattle; Tacoma! Tacoma! Aroma, Aroma!
A variety of causes have been attributed to the Aroma of Tacoma, including sediment in
Commencement Bay,
sulfur released from the
Simpson Tacoma Kraftpulp and
paper mill,[5][6] a
rendering plant, the
U.S. Oilrefinery, or a combination of all of these factors.[2] In 1997, the odor was exacerbated for several weeks after municipal officials unsealed a sewage tank that had not been opened in 15 years during the height of a stretch of humid weather.[7] By the early 2000s, the odor had been lessened, but not eliminated, after the Tacoma Kraft pulp and paper mill installed new combustion technologies.[8] The
WestRock paper mill closed in September 2023.[9]
Local impact
The Aroma of Tacoma has been cited as the reason behind jokes about Tacoma, once frequently made by residents elsewhere in
Western Washington.[10] Research in 2003 suggested the Aroma of Tacoma had contributed to a long-term depression of housing prices in the city.[11] Journalist and author
Timothy Egan called it "one of the longest lasting nicknames in the Pacific Northwest" and used it as an example of the many consequences of environmental destruction along
Puget Sound.[12]
During a concert stop at the
Tacoma Dome in the mid-1980s,
Bruce Springsteen reported the odor was so overwhelming that he was forced to leave town early.[2][13] A local doctor said the noxious fumes were unhealthful.[13] The EPA said the smell was due to total reduced sulfur emitted by the downtown paper mill (1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Tacoma Dome).[13]
Popular culture and public science
In the 1960s, Jim Torrence and Don Lemon with Diamond Jim and the Jazzmasters released a 45 rpm
novelty single titled "The Aroma of Tacoma."[14]
A
rugby tournament held since the 1970s is called the "Tacoma Aroma",[15] as well as a
hip-hop band from the Tacoma area.[16]
^Crowley, Walt; Wilma, David (January 17, 2003).
"Tacoma - Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
^"3 pulp mills ask compliance extension". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 29, 1972. p. 23.
Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
^Shaw, Monica (July 1, 2003). "Simpson Tacoma Kraft Reaps Rewards from Recovery Boiler and Precipitator Upgrades". Pulp and Paper Magazine.
^Fonseca, Camilo (August 23, 2023).
"Mill tied to the 'aroma of Tacoma' to close, cut 400 jobs". The Seattle Times.
Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023. Tacoma's paper mill, located at the mouth of the Puyallup River, is well known in local lore as the supposed source of the "Aroma of Tacoma," the putrid odor that once permeated the city. According to Elizabeth Korsmo, curator for the Tacoma Historical Society, as early as the 1930s people were complaining about the foul stench, and the mill's role in creating it.