More than two thirds of complaints received in relation to a smell likely emanating from the tip on Mugga Lane have been passed on to Access Canberra by a local member.
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This fact alone, despite other challenges faced in identifying the source of the smell, has made it difficult to pinpoint the stench, according to the ACT government.
Director of Regulatory Compliance, Construction, Environment and Workplace Protection at Access Canberra Greg Jones said in estimates last week the complaints about the smell were coming mainly from residents at homes in Macarthur and Fadden.
"It is pretty reasonable that it is coming from perhaps the Mugga area," Mr Jones said in estimates.
"It is not certain, but it is likely."
For months, the ACT government has been investigating the source of the odour that sporadically permeates the skies across Tuggeranong, near Mugga Lane.
A team of three or four people from the Environment Protection Authority have been trained to use their noses to detect what the scent is and where it is coming from.
Mr Jones said at this time, there was no "reliable equipment" to measure odour.
"The best odour detection mechanism is the human nose – it is the most sensitive – and that is what our field staff use," he said.
He said the smell was often referred to as unpleasant or putrid.
"Others describe it as being a rotting or rubbish-y type smell," Mr Jones said.
While the EPA team was trained to describe smells, the information from residents can be difficult to use as their description can be "subjective".
"We do record what their description, or what their perception of that smell is, so we do make a note of that, but obviously there is not going to be a lot of consistency between people, because they're not trained to do that," Mr Jones said.
As well as problems like describing the smell, the other difficulty faced when trying to investigate it was getting complaints too late.
Mr Jones said to ensure the government could continue to effectively investigate the smell, all complaints needed to be directed to Access Canberra.
"If complaints are received directly to Access Canberra, there is a better chance of trying to locate the source and be helpful at the time the complaint is made," he said.
"This provides the opportunity of inspectors to talk directly to the resident to cover issues such as a description of the odour, when they smelt it and any other matters they noticed. A registered complaint can be compared against other data held by the EPA, such as prevailing weather conditions, any other complaints or unusual activities undertaken at the Mugga Lane site, in order to assist with the location of the source of the odour."
To contact Access Canberra, phone 13 22 81.
