Letter/Update on Odor Control 12.11.2015
Woolen Mills, Belmont-Carlton, Martha Jefferson Hospital, and Interested Citizens
Each day Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority provides clean, safe drinking water to the over 120,000 residents of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County through their water retailers. We also handle the wastewater from every household and business in our community. We effectively treat it, so that it can be safely returned to nature, at the same time recovering both nutrient and energy for beneficial uses.
Handling wastewater comes with the unfortunate, yet understandable reality of strong odors. We realize many of you have had to deal with odors over the years and we understand your frustration. We wish it were a simple fix, but unfortunately it’s not.
Topography, history, and proximity to Moores Creek have combined to bring us the challenge of operating an 80-acre wastewater plant in close proximity to area neighborhoods and businesses. We treat an average 10 million gallons of wastewater per day with excellent results largely through natural biological processes similar to the digestive process of humans. Unfortunately, the very bacteria that treat the water also have a propensity to produce and release odors; and since we cannot simply kill the bacteria, controlling odors is expensive and no small task. Odors also have various properties that make them react differently to treatment, weather conditions, and temperature.
But we strive to be good neighbors. To that end, we have embarked on a major odor control project to address this issue.
In early 2015, the City and County representatives on our RWSA Board of Directors approved an extensive $9.33 million dollar odor control project, and it is a priority of our engineering and operations staff to see this project constructed as quickly as possible. In the end, we hope to keep the odors within the facility’s boundaries.
Overview of this project:
- A scientific odor study which included odor sampling and technically advanced computer modeling has determined the scope of the capital improvements.
- Key facilities will be either covered or removed.
- State-of-the-art grit facilities will be constructed.
- Odors will be captured through a network of air piping throughout the facility.
- Odors will be treated using technologically advanced biological “scrubbers,” as well as our existing chemical “scrubbers” which “vacuums” the air space and removes the odor compounds.
Approximate timeline:
- Accept construction bids until mid-December, 2015.
- Recommend award of Odor Control contract to the Board in January, 2016.
- Issue “Notice to Proceed” (which means contractors begin ordering equipment, etc.), March/April 2016.
- 18-20 months to complete once construction begins as the project requires significant capital construction and purchase of manufactured equipment.
In the meantime, we want to hear from you:
- For the most timely response and investigation, we highly recommend contacting us by phone (434) 977-2970 while you are experiencing the odor, rather than later.
Teri Kent, in her role as our new Communications Manager, will be meeting with interested neighborhood leaders in the coming months.
We appreciate your ongoing patience of this important community project.
Warm regards,
Michelle Simpson, Senior Engineer and Teri Kent, Communications Manager
