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Officials outline multi-pronged odor-control work at Town Branch and West Hickman wastewater plants
Summary
City staff described equipment upgrades, chemical trials and a newly hired odor-control manager as part of an ongoing effort that began after a late-2023 spike in neighborhood complaints. Major contracts and an emergency allocation were discussed.
The Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee on Feb. 11 received an update on the city—s odor-control work at Town Branch and West Hickman wastewater treatment plants and on steps to reduce foul odors in surrounding neighborhoods.
Councilmember Reynolds, sponsor of the item, said complaints surged in 2023 around the Town Branch plant and prompted an emergency mayoral order and an outside technical review. "The neighborhoods surrounding that area are the ones that started calling in, and saying that the odor was extremely foul, that they cannot go outside," Reynolds said. The city hired Webster & Associates (with Tetra Tech as a subconsultant) to sample and recommend remedies.
Director Martin of the Division of Water Quality told the committee that Webster—s late-2023 sampling showed roughly two-thirds of measured odorous emissions at each plant came from a few concentrated sources: at Town Branch, two primary clarifier banks and the headworks; at West Hickman, an ash-tank-and-scrubber complex. "We…
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