The City of Hamilton says it answered a provincial order on Friday with an “action plan” addressing an ongoing odour issue with its biosolids facility in the east end.
A spokesperson says the collaborative resolution was submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation & Parks (MECP) at the deadline which includes dialogue from private partner Synagro, which operates the facility near the Woodward Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Updates to their complaint investigation process, modifications to material handling, equipment maintenance, a ventilation system assessment and a number of other “housekeeping” tasks were the five primary promises made to the province.
The issue is in response to 12 complaints about a stench residents have experienced since May allegedly coming from the facility.
The MECP confirmed to Global News that the odours are tied to an equipment failure with a sludge-drying process that turns the slushy mass into fertilizer pellets.
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“The ministry has followed up with the City of Hamilton and Synagro regarding each complaint and attended the site on a number of occasions to confirm the odours and assess for non-compliance,” ministry spokesperson Lindsay Davidson told Global News in an e-mail.
“As a result of these incidents, the ministry required the parties to submit a detailed action plan to address the odour issues at the facility by November 12, 2021. The plan should include, but is not limited to, reviewing the complaint response process, completing a detailed odour assessment of the operation and developing a plan to ensure odour sources are properly captured and treated.”
The $106 million biosolids project was approved in 2017 and began operating in the summer of 2020 with the promise of processing up to 60,000 wet tons of biosolids per year over a 30-year contract.
The city is on the hook for about $245 million in plant investments over the three decade term.
According to the company’s website, Synagro is connected with more than 20 large-scale biosolids processing facilities across North America, including 10 heat-drying facilities.
Staff are hoping to complete their action plan by the end of 2021.
“The city will be conducting a third-party property-wide odour assessment in early 2022 to ensure the remedial actions taken by Synagro have resolved odour impacts for surrounding neighbours,” city spokesperson Jasmine Graham said in a release on Friday.
“This assessment will help the city to assure residents that the odour issues have been addressed appropriately.”
The MECP says steps that have been taken in the interim to prevent odours from impacting the neighbouring community include the closing of bay doors, recalibrating the perfume misters and adding additional deodourizer barrels around the facility.
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