Odor Control Project

Wastewater clarifier which will be covered (taken Nov 2015)

Check out our Progress!

: Location for the Odor Scrubber (1)

: Breaking Ground on the Odor Scrubber (2)

: Concrete Pad for the Odor Scrubber (3)

: Covering Primary Clarifier (1)

: Covering Primary Clarifier (2)

: Covering Primary Clarifier (3)

: Arial of Primary Clarifier (4)

: Aerial Shot of Primary Clarifier Being Covered (5)

: Aerial Shot of Covered Clarifier (6)

: Foul Air Line

: New Covered Trailers to Handle Biosolids

Odors at Moores Creek

Handling wastewater comes with the unfortunate, but understandable reality of strong odors. Controlling those odors is no small task. We handle all the wastewater needs of our community, which means we treat10 million gallons of wastewater per day, on average, with excellent results. The challenge: completing this complex, multi-step water treatment process across our 80-acre facility without releasing odors. As Charlottesville’s population has grown, the problem has grown.

We strive to be good neighbors and therefore have embarked on an extensive $10 million odor control project at the Moores Creek Advanced Water Resource Recovery Facility approved by the RWSA Board of Directors early in 2015 to address this issue.

We are upgrading and constructing state-of-the-art facilities throughout 2018 and in the end we hope to eliminate the most egregious odors, keeping them within the facility boundaries.

Overview of this project

A scientific study, that included liquid and vapor phase odor sampling and technically advanced computer modeling, has determined the scope of the capital improvements
Key facilities that contribute to odors will be either covered or removed
State-of-the-art grit facilities will be constructed
The most egregious odors will be captured through a network of air piping throughout the facility
Odor control units to receive the piped foul-smelling air will be constructed
Odors will be treated using technologically-advanced biological “scrubbers”, as well as our existing chemical “scrubbers” which “vacuums” the airspace, treats and neutralizes the odor compounds.

Check out this aerial map with legend entitled “Looking Ahead” for a closer look

Timeline

•Accepted construction bids until March 30, 2016
•Recommended award of Odor Control contract to the Board in April 2016
•Issued “Notice to Proceed” (which means they begin ordering equipment, start work, etc) June 27, 2016
•18-20 months to complete once construction begins

Looking Back…

See what steps Rivanna has made over the years to address odors.

Excavation for the New Biological Odor Scrubber

Log an Odor Complaint

Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority takes great pride in being one of the leading water utilities in the region – keeping the water running for our customers 24/7 in a reliable, environmentally-minded, economical way. We want to hear from our neighbors and community members when issues arise. We log all odor complaints we receive whether by this form, email (odors@rivanna.org), and by phone (434-977-2970). If you provide an address, additionally we will add to our odor tracking map to share with our engineers working on our large-scale odor control project.

For the most timely response, we highly recommend contacting us by phone (434) 977-2970 while you are experiencing the odor, rather than later, so that we can properly investigate.