Green Domes to manage sewer odours

Yarra Valley Water is trialling new technology, called a Green Dome, to help reduce the impact on customers in areas where sewer odours have previously been a problem. It is an alternative to the more traditional vent pipes, which are built into the sewer network to provide ventilation.

“Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that some sewers can occasionally have a degree of odour, creating unpleasant smelling gases,” said Yarra Valley Water Managing Director Pat McCafferty. “While this is not an issue which will affect a majority of our customers, our focus is to provide the best possible service we can with as little impact on the community as possible.”

Most sewer vents in Melbourne are tall, stack-style vents up to 10 m high. They work by dispersing sewer gas a long way above the ground, helping to dilute the odour. Vent stacks work well most of the time, but are not particularly attractive for the community and can be difficult to maintain or repair due to their size. They are also expensive and dangerous to maintain due to their height.

“Through the use of ever-changing and innovative technology, we are now able to use a new solution to an age-old problem,” McCafferty said.

The Green Dome is made from environmentally friendly materials which trap odours escaping from the sewer and absorb them into the carbon-based material. The dome cleans the air prior to releasing the gas, instead of just dispersing it into the air through a traditional vent.

“This technology uses no power and has no moving parts, is completely silent, easy to install and remarkably simple to maintain,” McCafferty said. “As well as being easy and cheap, maintaining a Green Dome is much safer for our staff as it is located at ground level.

“The colour and size of the dome also help it to blend in with the local environment so that it is less of an eyesore than some of the more traditional alternatives. We try wherever possible to work with the local community so that our assets are in keeping with the local area.

“The new technology is being trialled in response to feedback from customers, and so far our customers have been happy with the results.”