Odor Management Plan
Landfills smell. It is their nature. There are a variety of smells at a landfill but most often, the reputation of a landfill is that it stinks. Landfills offer a variety of odors. Those aromas typically fall into two basic categories: the ‘fresh’ trash smell or the landfill gas smell. Both varieties of odors offer distinct differences in the smells and require differing methods for managing them.
Learn More: Download a pdf of the “Odor Management Plan.”
Reporting Landfill Gas Odors
Landfill gas is a naturally occurring byproduct of landfills, and while natural, it can be a nuisance. Landfill gas, like most gaseous substances, follows the path of least resistance, and when there is a low-pressure barometric system it can go ambient.
How do we control landfill gas?
The landfill has a series of perforated HDPE pipes in the landfill that is hooked up to a low-pressure vacuum. The vacuum system draws the landfill gas to the onsite energy plant where the gas is converted to electricity. Gas that cannot be utilized is burned off in high-temperature flares.
Why can I still smell landfill gas sometimes?
Even though we have the system to collect landfill gas, gas will follow the path of least resistance and can find its way through the soils surrounding the landfill. When this happens, we apply more topsoil to prevent escape and keep the gas where it needs to be. If ambient gas is detected, we can adjust the vacuum pressure to more effectively capture gas.
This can also be attributed to work being done on the system. If the vacuum needs to be shut down at any time, it will stop pulling on the gas. Every effort is made to minimize such occurrences.
How do we make sure we’re doing all we can to keep it where it needs to be?
Each month a team of Environmental Technicians monitor the landfill gas wells and emissions check points. They check for temperature, gas mixture, and oxygen. Based on emission testing, vacuum pressures are adjusted. If gas odors are strong, more pressure can be applied. It takes very little pressure to move gas. If there is too much oxygen in the system it means that the vacuum is pulling too hard, and it might damage the system. If it is determined that gases are escaping in certain isolated areas of the landfill, more soil can be applied.
What happens when I report an odor?
When you report an odor, the staff at the landfill is alerted via email. In the email we get the time, date, GPS location, and weather information for the time and place of the report. We then investigate the odor as soon as possible. This includes a staff member going to the exact location of the report and see if there are any odors. We then log the event in accordance with our Operations Plan. We submit air permit reports to Idaho Department of Environmental Quality which contain the log, every six months, in accordance with our permit.
What if I have more questions?
Feel free to email the landfill at [email protected]
Odor Report App
This application provides a tool to report the presence or absence of odors, rank the intensity, and provide additional comments. A symbol is placed on the map at the location of the mobile device or computer reporting the odor. When a report is made, landfill weather station data is also recorded including temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation, dew point barometric pressure, and relative humidity. Historical intensity ratings can be viewed for the previous 7 days.
Mail
Download a pdf of the “Odor Control Form,” complete and mail to:
Ada County Landfill
200 West Front Street
Boise, ID 83702
Phone
(208) 577-4725 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.)
Email
[email protected]
