The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency failed to trace complaints properly about a polluting foundry in South Minneapolis, according to a report released on Thursday by the State Office for the legislative auditor.

Smith Foundry, an iron casting site that operated in Minneapolis’ various East Phillips bars for over a century, was a source of dissatisfaction in the neighborhood for decades. Between 2018 and 2023, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) received 18 complaints about the site, but had no register of its response for a third of these, the report says.

Other complaints mentioned bad scents were sent to the city of Minneapolis. State law has since changed, and MPCA is now responsible for examining smell complaints. The legislative auditor’s report did not find that the agency had fallen to investigate the smell since it became responsible for them in May 2023.

The results are similar What Star Tribune found 2023: When many neighbors complained about smells from the foundry, their concerns were taken care of to the city of Minneapolis and mostly went nowhere.

The agency “now creates a process to better coordinate complaints with local jurisdictions,” wrote spokeswoman Becky Lentz in an e -mail message. MPCA also told the legislative auditor that it is planning to introduce a new reporting system, which allows the public to upload images and location information with its mobile phones.

Allison Lind, a nurse whose young son participates in a day care center opposite the former foundry site, was one of the people who submitted a complaint to MPCA. As she mentioned smell, the complaint was redirected to the city of Minneapolis.

“Our complaints about pollutants went through the cracks and were unaddressed,” Lind said.

She added that the report showed that MPCA needed to “dramatically improve” enforcement of pollution.