Assessment of odour buffer zones for wastewater treatment plants

When a well designed and operated wastewater treatment plant (WTP) is hinctioning normally and there is an adequate separation distance, odorous emissions should not be detected in residential or other sensitive land uses. However, there are likely to be occasions when a biological or mechanical failure within the WTP causes an increase in the rate at which odorous emissions are generated, If these increased emissions occur at a time when the local meteorological conditions are not conducive to the dispersion and dilution of the odours, it may be possible to detect odours beyond the boundary of the WTP.