Articles
Pima County Innovates With Electronic Noses To Monitor Odor At Wastewater Treatment Plant
June 19, 2009
The first permanent U.S. installation of a unique
technology that can "smell" an odor problem before it occurs recently went on line in Tucson,
Arizona, according to the technology provider, N.A. Water Systems, a Veolia Water Solutions &
Technologies company.
OdoWatch® is now operational at the Roger Road Wastewater Reclamation Facility, where six e-noses (electronic noses) calibrated to smell odors like the human nose are installed at the facility. The unit performs real-time air dispersion modeling to generate a color-coded plume indicating the level of odor on a map of the site.
The system quantifies odor, and if the level begins to approach the threshold that can be perceived as a nuisance by a human nose, an alert notifies operators that actions must be taken to mitigate the situation. OdoWatch® can also be used to determine which odor source at a facility is causing the alert.
Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Deputy Director, John D. Warner took great interest in the potential of the OdoWatch System after a presentation by Odotech Inc. President and OdoWatch technology developer, Thierry Pagé. Mr. Warner recommended procurement of the OdoWatch System after stipulating that concurrent hydrogen sulfide monitoring and a rigorous monitoring data validation program become part of the system specification. Pima County's OdoWatch system is a first for the United States. Pima County has also requested an OdoWatch System proposal for its Ina Road Wastewater Reclamation Facility.
This proactive tool for odor management is intended to improve community relations by eliminating odor complaints. It will serve as an early warning system that will enable the staff at the plant to make quick changes when they are needed.
Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies is the exclusive licensee of OdoWatch® technology in the water and wastewater treatment industry.
About N.A. Water Systems
N.A. Water Systems is a provider of solutions for air, water and wastewater issues ranging
from regulatory compliance assistance to complete turnkey installation of treatment systems.
With expertise based on 99 years of experience and a staff of approximately 130 employees,
N.A. Water Systems meets the needs of both industrial and municipal customers. N.A. Water
Systems is a Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies company.
Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies is the technological subsidiary of Veolia Water. Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, which includes seven subsidiaries in North America (Biothane, Crown Solutions, HPD, John Meunier, Kruger, N.A. Water Systems, and Whittier Filtration), is a world leader in engineering and technological solutions in water treatment for industrial companies and municipal authorities. VWS is also one of the world's major design-build providers of water and wastewater treatment facilities. Present in more than 57 countries, with 8,900 employees, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies had revenues of $3.7B in 2008.
Veolia Water, the water division of Veolia Environnement, is the world leader in water services. Veolia Water specializes in managing water services outsourced by municipal authorities, industry and tertiary sector companies. Veolia Water operates in 57 countries, serves 139 million people, employs 93,400 employees, and had revenues of $18.6B in 2008.
