The A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility is committed to make every effort to eliminate the migration of fugitive odors from the plant to the surrounding communities. Since 2000, the Sanitation Districts have spent, or will spend, in excess of $71.5 million in various efforts to reduce odors and air emissions from the Warren Facility.

Several areas within Primary Treatment, namely the inlet works forebays, grit chambers, interconnecting channels, sedimentation tank batteries, and raw sludge and skimmings wet wells, have been retrofitted with airtight, flat, gasketed, aluminum covers at a cost of approximately $6.5 million to reduce odors. Air trapped underneath these covers, excluding the sedimentation tank batteries, is directed to a $10 million state-of-the-art, two-stage treatment process that includes biotrickling scrubbers followed by activated carbon filters.

The air trapped under the sedimentation tank covers, skimmings trough covers, and primary effluent channel covers is directed to another two-stage process that also includes biotrickling scrubbers followed by activated carbon filters. Three independent systems, installed at a cost of $32 million, control each of the three Primary Treatment sedimentation tank batteries.

Compounds present in biosolids generate foul odors at the Solids Processing facilities, including the North and South Silos, Conveyor Discharge enclosure, Conveyor Transfer Gallery Nos. 2 & 3, and the hoppers, conveyors and truck enclosure at Truck Loading Station Nos. 2 and 3. Air trapped in these facilities is directed to two biofilter systems for treatment, installed at a cost of $23 million.