ORTECH can assess the Odour Impacts
Odour Impact Assessments are becoming more common place as municipalities and land use planners struggle with development in proximity to facilities that emit odours. If you need to conduct an Odour Impact Assessment, please contact Steve Thorndyke.
What is an Odour Impact Assessment?
An Odour Impact Assessment is a valuable tool for determining how odours from your facility may be impacting the community. Inversely it may also be used to determine how odours generated in the community may impact your property. An Odour Impact Assessment looks at a number of factors including:
odour emissions details and variances,
location of odour generating sources,
impact on neighbours or receptors,
weather conditions,
land types or typography,
land use,
dispersion models, (where the odour travels),
other site specific variables.
Assessing the odour impact of an industrial, commercial or municipal facility is a complex process, and there are a number of techniques. ORTECH has developed a structured process including a variety of assessment tools such as:
odour dispersion modelling: To better evaluate the odour potential from facilities and process changes, ORTECH uses advanced dispersion models such as ISCST3/Screen3, ISCPrime and AERMOD. The models predict the maximum off-property odour concentrations, plotted as isopleths overlain on topographical maps of the surrounding area. Locations of community complaints can be plotted and correlated with modeled results. The frequency and severity of odour threshold exceedence in the community can be predicted to help industry with abatement planning.
field inspections: Field inspections can be used to determine the odour impact of a facility on a community. From a land-use planning perspective; field inspections are valuable tools in determining odour impact from neighbouring facilities on a subject property. Inspections can determine the type of facility, emission sources, odour characteristic, and odour intensity, and how the odours may impact the subject property.
real-time odour monitoring and exposure profiling: Odour emission rates can be estimated by collecting air samples and determining the odour detection threshold values (ODTVs) using sensory evaluation techniques. Air samples are usually collected by the dilution sampling procedure, which minimizes the loss of odorants by adsorption, condensation or oxidation. For open sources, odour sampling might be conducted using a lung or flux chamber technique. ODTVs are used in conjunction with volumetric flow rates to calculate odour emission rates from the source.
odour complaint analysis and community monitoring: When many emission points or fugitive sources contribute to community odour complaints, trained observers are deployed in a structured evaluation protocol throughout the community. Observers record the intensity and character of odours. The data from this assessment can be interpreted to determine potential sources and impact of the odour. The resulting data can also be used to confirm odour dispersion modelling results.
ORTECH has over 40 years of odour experience. ORTECH routinely conducts point source emission testing programs for all types of industries and facilities including rendering plants, sewage treatment plants, composting facilities, paint spray operations and the food processing industry. ORTECH offers odour sample collection and analysis in compliance with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) Method ON:6, and the European Standard Method EN:13725.
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