KWRP needed to find a solution for odour monitoring and measurement on and off site, while presenting community with a trusted and conclusive data of the odour source.

The City of Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant (KWRP) provides treatment services to more than 190,000 residents in 18 Kalamazoo-area municipal jurisdictions. The KWRP receives a significant portion of its wastewater from industrial sources. Manufacturers that produce pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals, spices and food additives, as well as projects associated from groundwater clean-up and remediation of contaminated groundwater.  

The wastewater treatment facility has been under increasing scrutiny due to odour complaints from the local community. The odour complaints have been received from the adjacent communities, but historically it’s been difficult to assess KWRP’s specific contribution, or whether their operations are the cause of those nuisances at all. The plant’s proximity to other facilities makes it difficult to use traditional investigation methods in order to reach a conclusive answer.

The ideal solution needed to consider various potential sources both on and off site for hydrogen sulphide (H2S), as well as not creating an impact to neighbouring locations, such as a hospital with sensitive receptors 

KWRP worked with Envirosuite to implement a comprehensive platform to complement the odour control methods already in place, and to provide a dynamic approach for predicting and assessing odour impacts moving forward. To develop the solution, Envirosuite worked with the team at KWRP to understand the nuances of the facility and the requirements. The solution uses twelve sensors (six on site, six off site) that are strategically located at the fence line or near odour and/or gas emission sources in order to accurately characterise emissions. The solution would incorporate the existing onsite weather data to have the most accurate weather conditions at the site for analysis of odour impacts.  

This solution includes a Software as a Service (SaaS) layer, providing KWRP staff with real-time information about fugitive emissions, the ability to determine the likely source of present and past odour events, and even provide advance warning about high-risk periods whenever possible.

With the solution in place, the KWRP staff can gain better situational awareness around their operations and put them in a better position to investigate and resolve odour complaints from citizens located near the facility. 

Since implementing the solution, KWRP have been able to identify potential emission sources and analyse emission source contributions. The data has shown that by using both the monitoring data and advanced analysis provided by Envirosuite’s EVS Omnis platform, the plant’s management has been able to baseline hydrogen sulfide gas levels in the wastewater treatment plant and in the surrounding vicinity. The KWRP has also used this data to establish a constructive dialog with other industries towards improving their pre-treatment processes as well. 

• Lower cost of odour reduction and mitigation strategies  

• Build trust with the local community  

• Shorten investigation time of emissions incidents 

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