Collection System Sampling and Monitoring Data – “Don't Get Stuck Reading the Tea Leaves to Characterize Your Odor/Corrosion Problem!”

Odor and corrosion issues in the collection system is too often a problem for many agencies. A critical first step is usually to sample and monitor to help characterize the problem. The data is essential and used for implementing the appropriate treatment technologies or developing tools to abate odor and corrosion. While the saying “too much information is never enough” the reality is that agencies face a limited capital budget, while needing to prioritize capital improvement projects. Sampling and monitoring efforts can be expensive, from collecting to analyzing the data.Agencies such as King County (Washington) Wastewater Treatment Division and Jefferson County (Alabama) Environmental Services Department have initiated sampling and monitoring programs and used the data to address their respective odor and corrosion issues. Case studies are presented for each of these agencies to present the sampling and monitoring efforts, demonstrate how the data is evaluated and how the odor and corrosion issue was resolved.