While we are sure that everyone has great sympathy with the locals in St. Clair, who should not have to suffer this odor for one more day, as an experienced leachate treatment engineer it concerns me to read about the solution being adopted. Covering these foul smelling lagoons, which contain a, no doubt, high level of organic contamination is a dangerous route to take. The largely anaerobic leachate which probably over time have also developed an organic sludge below the water which is also anaerobic, will be generating biogas. In fact there are many examples of anaerobic digestion (biogas) plants built on purpose using acetogenic organic wastes in a comparable manner to this.
So, please take care about going down the route of covering leachate lagoons and providing almost no ventilation. If you do, take care to observe good explosion risk assessments (in the EU the ATEX Directive applies) and implement goode safety procedures on-site. In the past it has been seen as a much better idea to dose the leachate as it enters the lagoons with an oxidising agent such as hydrogen peroxide, or even potassium permangenate. Once in an aerobic condition throughout, no more methane will be generated, and the operator could then commence aeration of these lagoons, but aeration into anaerobic conditions at first would just make the odor more pronounced. (If you need expert help on solving leachate odor problems contact us at www.leachate.co.uk .) The article extarct follows. Please visit the link at the bottom of this page to see the original page:
ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP - Clean Harbors has spent nearly $1 million on corrective action since last August when an overwhelming stench began impacting neighbours of the hazardous waste facility."The sheer volume of exposed leachate couldn't be addressed by snapping our fingers," said the company's compliance director.
Mike Parker, a handful of consultants, and Clean Harbors' managers, spoke to about 35 residents Wednesday at an open house at the Royal Canadian Legion in Corunna, assuring them that months of sickening odour incidents will soon be over.
While some neighbours disagree, company brass are confident the stink is a result of too much leachate at the Telfer Road site.
Since August, Clean Harbors has incinerated approximately 20 million litres of leachate and emptied one of its holding ponds.
By late February, the company expects to completely cover its two leachate ponds with engineered roofs and will easily meet the deadlines directed by the Ministry of Environment, Parker said.
The ministry has ordered Clean Harbors to address its odour issue and reduce the volume of on-site leachate by May.
"We're doing a lot of work that will ultimately reduce the leachate,"
Parker said. "We're doing everything possible to be sure the odour is gone. I'm very confident the major source will be eliminated by May.
"We wouldn't do all this and spent this kind of money if it wasn't going to be affective," he said.
But neighbours at Wednesday's open house weren't so confident.
The odours have impacted their quality of life, made them nauseous, stung their eyes and sent them to emergency.
"You are interfering with my enjoyment of my property," Jim Stenton of Petrolia Line told Clean Harbors' general manager Jim Brown.
Stenton asked Brown why the company doesn't put out a warning through the community warning system known as CVECO when odours are bad.
"It would be better if I had warning so I could get out of my house,"
Stenton said.
"For an odour complaint?" Brown answered. "I don't see it that way."
But, Clean Harbors does alert the Ministry of Environment, he added.
"And once the leachate is under the cover, it will eliminate that septic smell," Brown said. "You'll never get rid of all the odours completely but the really bad smell should be gone."
Clean Harbors has applied for ministry approval to vent the engineered roofs, a move that the neighbours oppose.
"I think everyone is pretty upset about it," said Lori Vokes who represents about 100 area residents.
"They said they were installing airtight covers and now they want to vent them."
The public has until Feb. 12 to comment on Clean Harbors' application to vent.
"We hope enough people will object to make the ministry take a closer look at the application and not just rubber stamp it," said Vokes.
The application can be viewed at www.ebr.gov.on.ca and is number 011 5467.
If approved, each leachate pond will have one vent measuring two inches in diameter, said Parker.
"We'll use it two or three times a week for three to five minutes at a time. If there's a bad odour, we'll shut the valve," he said.
The vents are necessary to release any trapped air under the cover and ensure the ponds work efficiently, Parker added.
Odour complaints related to Clean Harbors' operation continue, said St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold.
Incidents are less frequent and not as intense but are still occurring, he said.
"Usually there isn't a problem with odours at this time of the year,"
said Vokes. "But the last six months have been completely out of the ordinary.
"It's making people nervous about the spring."
Sarnia Observer
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