Concerns About Wastewater Treatment Sites
Concerns about wastewater treatment facilities can range widely, and relate to a large variety of issues. Of particular interest to communities and residents are issues surrounding:
- Environmental impact
- Economic impact
- Community/social issues
- Land-use
- Design
Some of the major concerns are addressed below. For a more complete listing of issues the CRD is taking into considering when planning treatment sites, see the sidebar.
Odour Control
Odour control is one of the most important factors of treatment plant design. The CRD will be looking at five dimensions of odour control, in order to best deal with this issue:
- frequency
- intensity
- duration
- offensiveness
- location
There are a number of different approaches to managing odours, ranging from bylaw introduction to the establishment of criteria for individual chemicals. The most successful management tool, however, is use of our own sense of smell in order to assure a liveable community.
At the CRD, our goal is odour control which begins at the property line of each plant. This is a stringent criterion that is currently being used in many European countries, where wastewater treatment plants are located adjacent to residential areas. Foul air is passed through scrubbing equipment before being discharged, virtually eliminating odours.
Noise
Noise at a treatment plant is typically associated with rotating equipment such as aeration blowers and with truck traffic entering and leaving the site. The CRD will employ noise standards which meet or exceed municipal bylaws. Typically criteria are 45 decibels and 55 decibels at the fence line for evening and daytime periods.
Land Requirements
In the past, wastewater treatment plants have been located away from other areas of development on large tracts of land. Give the ample space, layout efficiency was not a major concern. Today, with plants being located within developed areas, plant layouts are much more compact. Advances in technology are also allowing for smaller plant footprints.
The CRD is investigating options which will allow for the smallest plant footprint as is possible in order to reduce impact on local communities. One of the benefits of decentralized treatment is the option of smaller plant sizes, with dilute sludges discharged downstream for further treatment at the central plant. This would both decrease the size of treatment plants and eliminate truck traffic associated with sludge hauling.