The City of Crystal Lake, Ill., is located approximately 45 miles northwest of Chicago with a population of around 45,000 people. Like many wastewater treatment plants, urban sprawl and suburban development puts the Crystal Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant near a host of commercial and residential neighbors, including a high school immediately west of the plant. Plant managers were forward thinking and wanted to be good neighbors to those occupying the surrounding area. They wanted to take steps to reduce—and hopefully eliminate completely—any odor issues from the plant.
The Solution
Crystal Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant contacted OMI Industries to learn more about how Ecosorb odor-eliminating products could be employed at the plant. After working with a sales engineer from OMI, two high-pressure atomization systems were installed. Each had 20 nozzles for distributing Ecosorb liquid product; one system was installed in the plant influent flume area and another in the aerated grit removal area. Performance was pleasing enough at the plant that when OMI's waterless 130-cu-ft-per-minute Vapor Phase units became available, one of these was installed in the influent flume area, replacing one of the original high-pressure systems.
A newer 450-cu-ft-per-minute Vapor Phase unit was installed around the aerated grit removal area, with over 900 feet of 6-in. vapor line covering grit removal as well as the primary clarifiers. As recently as 2013, a second 450-cu-ft-per-minute Vapor Phase system was installed outside the sludge storage building; it is insulated, heated and heat traced to withstand fluctuations in midwestern weather patterns. Vapor ducting feeds from the machine into the side of the building and creates a continuous loop surrounding the building. The machine runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Result
With Ecosorb products and customized equipment from OMI Industries, the contractor was able to continue dredging throughout the summer with no further complaints.
