Case Study: Odor Control Lakeland, FL

Lakeland, FL is located about 40 miles North of Tampa and has a population of 78,500 (2003). The population grew 10 percent in the 1990s, which combined with an increase of industrial discharges to increase hydraulic flow and organic load throughout the collection system to the treatment plant. From 2000 to early 2003, average flow increased approximately 25 to 30 percent due to population growth and sustained heavy rains as the previous drought ended, and there was a 13 percent increase in sewer connections within that same time period. The South collection system covers approximately 100 square miles, feeding the Glendale Water Reclamation Plant located in the southeast quadrant. There are about 120 city pump stations and over 50 private pump stations in the basin.

For several years, the municipality tried various alternative methods to address odor problems, including the use of nitrate salts, peroxide, iron salts, and fruit extract but without success. The odor problems were system-wide, but especially acute in the neighborhoods around the Carleton cascading gravity line (Carleton) and the 3.0 MGD Southwest Pumping Station (SWPS).