Corbett Creek Water Pollution Control Plant

Location: Whitby, Ontario
Engineering: R.V. Anderson Associates Limited
Owner/Operator: Regional Municipality of Durham

HGC Engineering was retained by R.V. Anderson to undertake an Acoustic Assessment of the Corbett Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Whitby, Ontario. The study was required in support of an application to the Ministry of Environment (“MOE”) for a Certificate of Approval (Air & Noise). The assessment considered all existing operable sound sources at the facility and the proposed replacement of the waste biogas burner.

The assessment evaluated the overall sound emissions of the facility under a predictable worst-case operating scenario, which is defined as an hour when typically busy operation of the stationary sources under consideration could coincide with an hour of low background sound.

Acoustic Assessment Criteria
Source sound level measurements were conducted at the facility and source sound levels were used as input to a predictive acoustical model to quantify the environmental noise emissions associated with the facility. Acoustic assessment criteria were established in accordance with the sound level limits in MOE guideline NPC-205 and were used to assess the sound emissions of the facility.

Sound Intensity Measurements
Sound levels of all of the sources that were operating on-site were measured by HGC Engineering primarily using sound intensity methods. Unlike a simple sound level meter with an omni-directional microphone, sound intensity instrumentation utilizes a highly directional probe and sophisticated analyzer to measure both the magnitude and direction of sound. This approach therefore has excellent immunity to background noise and cross-interference from sources located close together.

Noise Sensitive Receptors
The lands surrounding the facility are zoned primarily for employment and industrial use with some residentially zoned lands along Crystal Beach Boulevard. The area is best characterized as a “Class 1” urban area, under MOE noise assessment guidelines.

The nearest noise sensitive receptors are single detached dwellings located approximately 180 metres southwest of the facility, and single detached dwellings located approximately 350 metres west of the facility.

During the site visit by HGC Engineering, the acoustic environment in the vicinity of the facility was dominated by distant road traffic noise and surrounding industry. The Corbett Creek WPCP facility was not audible at the nearest points of reception.

Facility Description
The Corbett Creek WPCP facility operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The primary existing sound sources at the facility include building ventilation and heating, several building exhausts and building openings, receiving activities, and a standby emergency generator.

Non-Negligible Sound Sources:

• Process Exhausts, Building Ventilation & HVAC
• Waste Biogas Burner
• Blower Building
• Standby Generator
• Trucking Activities

 

Assessment Conclusion
The acoustical measurements and analysis indicated that the sound levels of the Corbett Creek WPCP facility were within the applicable sound level limits, as set out in MOE publication NPC-205 under typical “predictable worst case” operating conditions.