Sewage-Plant Stench Won't Stay, City Vows
Posted on: Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 18:00 CDT
CRANSTON - A number of factors, including upgrade work and failed equipment, significantly increased the odors emanating from the city's sewage treatment plant over the last month. The problem prompted a crescendo of complaints from area residents and a warning from the state Department of Environmental Management.
The DEM says the odors from the plant, at 140 Pettaconsett Ave., are detectable on Pontiac Avenue and across the Pawtuxet River near the intersection of Routes 95 and 37.
After DEM inspectors visited the site, the agency sent the city a warning letter on June 21 and followed it up on July 1 with a notice that the city was failing to comply with state regulations governing odor control.
The agency, thus far, has not threatened to impose fines. A combination of factors has contributed to the odors, which began in mid-June and have worsened in the last few weeks, according to Bill Patenaude, principal engineer for the agency's Office of Water Resources.
The sludge incinerator and the biological aeration tanks that remove nutrients are being retrofitted to meet more stringent standards for nitrogen discharge into the Pawtuxet River, and so there is less equipment available to process wastewater.
On July 13, a "secondary clarifier" failed, leaving stagnant waste sitting in the large vat, and the number of complaints jumped.
The vat was drained this past weekend, which should eliminate the odor, but the clarifier still awaits repair.
Marco Schiappa, the city's public works director, stressed that no contaminated material was released into river at any time. He said the processing system is working properly and that the odor problem will soon dissipate.
"It's not like this is the way it is always and we're not doing anything about it. It's a byproduct of upgrading the system," he said.
The major upgrades to the plant will be completed by early September, Schiappa said.
Source: Providence Journal
Related Articles
- ATK Awarded Four-Year Contract to Operate Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
- ATK Receives Additional $49 Million in Modernization Project Funding for the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
- Progress Energy Seeks 20-year License Renewal for Crystal River Nuclear Plant
- Great River Energy to Build Elk River Peaking Plant, Study Additional Power Generation Proposals
- U.S. Steel Passes on Big River Zinc Plant
- Big River Zinc's Plant in Sauget, Ill., Will Be Closed
- Judge Approves Sale of Kansas City, Mo., Steel Plant
- Crystal River Nuclear Plant Begins Refueling Outage
- Gujaret Glass Buys Flat River Glass Plant
- City Considering Odor Solutions
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds