Social and Environmental Considerations

 

Nuisance Mitigation

 

Previous treatment facilities have created a bad image for wastewater treatment plants. They are considered as being a source of a range of nuisances including odour, noise, visual impact and traffic disruption. However, the proposed plant has carefully considered these from the very early stages of design and uses the latest technologies available to keep disturbance to an absolute minimum.

During construction stage, the works will only be conducted during the day to avoid possible noise nuisance. Lorry movements will be kept to an absolute minimum throughout the projects lifetime by maximising onsite handling and avoiding importations.

Every effort has been taken to better the outlook of the plant. The design was driven by the idea to merge the plant with the environment using a mix of aesthetic buildings and abundant vegetation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Street view of the plant

 

The vast majority of the treatment processes are contained within buildings so as to minimise visual impact, but equally contain odours and reduce noise. The front of the wastewater treatment plant was designed to mimic the surrounding buildings, which contributes to merging the facility with the local area. The remaining treatment processes have been carefully positioned and designed. The anaerobic digesters have the aesthetic egg-shape that has already proven popular in the Reading wastewater treatment plant. The secondary clarifiers, which are not odorous or a source of noise, have been placed so as to not be visible from the outside of the plant.

 

The processes used in the plant are cutting edge technologies. Therefore the outside must be similarly future proof, sustainable and green. The outskirts of the plant are wooded by trees for screening purposes. Willow trees were chosen for this purpose as they are fast growing, absorb pollutants efficiently, and are suitable for a wide range of land types. Within the site, plenty of green areas are also incorporated into the layout for a pleasant onsite experience and to create new habitat for wildlife such as birds.

 

The plant was designed with odour control as one of its top priorities. Therefore, not only does it enclose the odours within buildings, it also treats them at the source with advanced frontline technology. Plasma filtration is a new process that has already been implemented in a dozen wastewater treatment plants and has proven very effective with an odour reduction of about 90% (Holub et al., 2014). The odour nuisance will therefore be negligible to the community, and minimal for the people onsite.

 

Benefits for The Community

 

From the start, the wastewater treatment plant has been developed from the start with the community in mind. As opposed to previous plants, the proposed facility goes further than just mitigating nuisance. By its design and careful engineering, this futuristic plant benefits the community on a socio-economic and environmental level.

 

Wastewater treatment comprises a multitude of different processes that require regular maintenance and human operation. Therefore, the implementation of the plant will create several stable employment opportunities available for a wide range of capabilities ranging from high school diploma level to highly skilled engineers.  A significant amount of additional jobs will also be created during the construction stage.

 

For the benefit of the community, a portion of the recovered products from wastewater are redistributed to the locals. The energy produced by the plant is made available to use for the local bus system, reducing the need for fossil fuel and diminishing the greenhouse gas impact by over 20 times (Biodrill, 2014). Subject to availability, the water effluent of the plant is available free of charge to the community. As it meets all the strict environmental regulations, the output water is perfectly suitable for irrigating parks, recreational areas and domestic gardens. Using this greywater instead of freshwater can significantly reduce cost for the user, and is more environmentally friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Fuel Station for the Local Transportation System                 Water distribution station

                 

 

The general public has very little understanding of how wastewater treatment plants operate due to them being fenced off. This plant will therefore also have an educational purpose as it will offer tours for professionals and school groups in order to give an insight on what the industry does. The tours are expected to increase acceptance of the community and create a more positive public perception of wastewater treatment plants.