Alexandria, VA, Feb. 11, 2002 -- As many communities experience increased development and homes and businesses are built closer to wastewater treatment plants, odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have become more of an issue.
Albuquerque, NM, is set to host "Odors and Toxic Air Emissions 2002", a Water Environment Federation (WEF) specialty conference designed to provide an in-depth examination of the latest technological advancements and efforts to control odor and VOC emissions. The conference will be held April 28 to May 1, 2002 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Co-sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association, the conference will cover current issues, regulatory requirements, analysis methods, and solutions. The conference will also address methods to influence policy makers to use sound technical information in decision-making and will encourage the use and acceptance of effective innovative technologies.
Conference Co-Chair Thomas Mahin (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection), believes "the fields of odor nuisance and toxic air emissions are becoming increasingly important as new development moves closer and closer to wastewater treatment facilities." Speaking about the potential effect on property value, Mahin believes wastewater treatment professionals "need to understand the successes and limitations of the different approaches that are being tried to prevent odor issues from becoming both major headaches and significant financial resource drains."
A preconference workshop on April 28, "Risk Management Plans: Keeping Treatment Plants Secure and the Public Informed," will cover the procedures needed to improve security of treatment operations, increase safety of hazardous chemicals, and provide assurance to the public. The Opening General Session, also on the 28th, will feature William Cain of the University of California-San Diego on the "Assessment of Health Effects from Odorous Emissions." Cain's research focuses on the human sense of smell, the irritation sense, and issues of chemosensory perception.
The conference will feature 10 technical sessions, including "Emissions from Biosolids Processing and Composting Facilities" and "Methods for Sampling, Measuring, and Estimating Emissions." According to Conference Co-Chair Jay Witherspoon (CH2M Hill), there will be "several sessions that address biotechnology and its applicability to replace chemical scrubbers and other traditional control approaches." Witherspoon believes that this conference "has the science, the case studies, peer reviewed papers, and the right balance that will enable an expert and novice to walk away with the feeling that they learned something new in this field."
For more information visit the WEF web site at www.wef.org.
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Foundation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes more than 100,000 water quality professionals from 77 Member Associations in 31 countries.
