Repairs made at wastewater treatment plant.

LUDINGTON — The city has hired a contractor who has made temporary repairs to its wastewater treatment plant. Residents who live in its vicinity have recently been complaining about the odors coming from the plant, which, according to City Manager John Shay have been because of an expiring aeration system and high volume use by industrial contributors to the system.

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“These repairs have resulted in a 50% increase in the amount of air being returned to lagoons, which will have a direct impact on mitigating the odors at the WWTP,” Shay said. “The city is evaluating the effectiveness of these repairs in order to determine if any additional repairs to the aeration system will become necessary.”

The aeration system consists of a series of pipes. Air is pumped through the pipes to the wastewater lagoons to provide oxygen to the biological process used to treat the wastewater.

Shay said the city is also obtaining information from private companies that provide odor management services.

“These services could be used in conjunction with the temporary repairs to the aeration system or used in the event that such repairs do not completely resolve the odor issue,” Shay said.