As a new year begins, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back at 2012 and highlight the progress that the Richmond wastewater treatment facility has achieved following the challenges experienced in 2010 and 2011.We recognize the areas of most interest to residents are the delivery of services and the management of odors, and on both of those counts Veolia has made great strides.
From a service perspective, residents expect to have reliable, effective and affordable sewer service with minimal disruption from incidents such as back-ups or overflows. Veolia Water, in coordination with the City of Richmond, completed several small- to medium-sized pipe replacement projects in the collection system in 2012.In addition, there is a large-scale wet weather storage facility in the advanced planning stages for construction at the treatment plant. The wet weather storage project is conceived and planned to minimize sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in the collection system. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2014.
Odors are a concern when operating a wastewater treatment facility, but the good news is that there has been a dramatic reduction in odor complaints in 2012 as mitigation measures and diligence have helped prevent or quickly resolve odor-producing situations. The number of odor-related telephone complaints dropped from 42 in 2011 to 10 in 2012.Similarly, H2S monitor alerts dropped dramatically in 2012 from the previous year, from a high of 35 in a single month in 2011 to five in the same period in 2012.
Veolia continues to work closely with the City to monitor and quickly address issues that arise.In 2012, an additional H2S meter was installed in the Brickyard Cove community, bringing the total number of meters in the area to seven. A protocol for monitoring and responding to alerts and telephone complaints has helped to more effectively manage incidents when they arise and has resulted in greatly reducing resident complaints.
We are committed to continuing on a path of improvement and being responsive when issues arise. We remain dedicated to keeping you informed through a number of channels, including regular community updates to our website. If you have any questions or concerns, we hope you will contact us to discuss them. Happy new year from your Veolia team!