Odor Control


Odor Control

Please immediately report any nuisance odors that you believe are coming from a sewer, pump station, and/or the treatment plant to YCUA.  A YCUA staff member can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 734-544-7137.

YCUA completed Phase I of our odor control plan in 2001 at a cost of 2.25 million dollars.  Phase I consisted of odor control for the plant headworks (where the raw sewage first enters the plant).  The purpose of the Odor Control Facility is to remove the malodorous elements of the foul air generated at the plant and discharge stable (scrubbed) air to the atmosphere.  Odors generated from wastewater consist of a wide range compounds with diverse chemical natures. The most prominent odors are sulfur-bearing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans and nitrogen – bearing compounds such as ammonia and amines.  Foul air is treated by neutralization with caustic solutions, or by oxidation with solutions like sodium hypochlorite.  Compounds created from these treatments are less volatile than their original form.

Phase 2 Odor Control

YCUA completed Phase II of our odor control plan in 2013 (pictured above).  Phase II consisted of odor control for the biosolids (sludge) processing areas of the plant.  Foul air from biosolids processing sources is conveyed into the first oxygenated zone of each aeration basin.  Microorganisms in the aeration basins decompose the odorous compounds in the foul air through a form of biofiltration.