Odour Assessment Task Group Final Report Prepared by the Odour Assessment Task Group for the Odour Management Team May 2015 Table of Contents IMPORTANT NOTICE: .................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. III ODOUR ASSESSMENT TASK GROUP MEMBERS .................................................... IV EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ V 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 2. OVERVIEW OF TASKS ........................................................................................... 1 2.1 Vision and Intended Audience ..................................................................................................................... 1 2.2 Task Group Deliverables .............................................................................................................................. 2 2.3 Scoping and Assumptions ............................................................................................................................. 2 3. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 3 3.1 Overview of Steps .......................................................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Consultant Report and Guide Development ............................................................................................... 4 4. ADVICE ON EDUCATION/COMMUNICATION/AWARENESS............................... 5 5. ADVICE ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT......................................................... 5 6. LINKS TO OTHER TASK GROUPS ........................................................................ 6 7. LESSONS LEARNED/ADVICE ............................................................................... 6 8. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 7 9. APPENDIX I: REVIEW OF ODOUR ASSESSMENT TOOLS AND PRACTICES FOR ALBERTA .............................................................................................................. 8 ii Important Notice: The content contained in this report is being provided to the Odour Management Team (OMT) for their consideration as they develop the ‘Good Practice Guide’ as well as their Final Report. The task group recognizes that the content may or may not be fully included in the final versions of these documents which will be submitted to the CASA Board of Directors for their approval. Acknowledgements The OMT requested that members of the Odour Assessment Task Group (OATG) also undertake the work outlined under Prevention/Mitigation, which they agreed to with the addition of a representative in land-use planning and a different representative from ESRD. The dedication of these members to complete deliverables from two task groups is acknowledged and appreciated. The Odour Assessment Task Group would like to thank all current and past members for their hard work and commitment over the life of the group (see Task Group Members list on page iv). iii Odour Assessment Task Group Members Name Organization Atta Atia Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Ron Axelson Intensive Livestock Working Group Phyllis Bielawski Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Ike Edeogu Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Kim Johnson Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) (Shell) David Spink Prairie Acid Rain Coalition Amanda Stuparyk Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Alternate and Corresponding Members Name Organization Kevin Warren Parkland Airshed Management Zone Abena Twumasi-Smith The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association Former Members Name Organization Gerald Palanca Alberta Energy Regulator Tracy Smith Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) (Shell) Celeste Dempster Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) iv Executive Summary The Odour Assessment Task Group (OATG) was formed in October 2013 to undertake the work listed under ‘Odour Assessment’ in the Odour Management Project Charter (March 2013) led by the Odour Management Team (OMT). Each deliverable of the task group was achieved through collaboration and consensus agreement of the group. The group developed their workplan based on the vision and objectives for odour assessment: “that effective management of existing or potential odour issues requires practical, credible and appropriate tools to assess odour. The results of an odour assessment can be used to determine the appropriate type and level of response to address a potential or existing odour issue.” The Charter outlines one objective for the “Odour Assessment” task group: 1. To provide information on options, tools and recommended action for odour assessment. The main audience for the OATG work was determined to be both government and industry, however the deliverables were developed with the intention that it would be easily understood and useful to members of the public. The group decided that an analysis of odour assessment tools and practices including applicability in the Alberta context was an appropriate deliverable. They agreed that the review should also assess the identified tool/practices based on when they would/would not be appropriate for use. They created a Request for Proposal (RFP) and chose a consultant to assist the group in the analysis. The task group and consultant developed an inclusive informational report with an associated odour assessment guide that is intended for non‐experts who need to understand the options available for conducting an odour assessment (see Appendix I for the Review of Odour Assessment Tools and Practices for Alberta consultant report.). The report and guide will be helpful to representatives of municipalities that deal with odour complaints, to industry or those wanting to change operations, to communities with odour concerns and, to provincial government agencies, and regulators that deal with odour issues. The final work for the OATG was to develop their task group final report (this report) to outline their work and deliverables, discuss areas of advice for the distribution of the group’s report, and provide advice for future work areas in odour assessment. All deliverables should be considered by the OMT as they develop communication and roll-out plans for the Good Practice Guide (GPG). The task group’s timelines were delayed due to concerns with the consultant’s report that resulted in multiple revisions. This delayed the task group’s acceptance of the final version. The task group was marginally over their allocated budget. Prior to submission to the OMT, the OATG inserted an addendum in the consultant’s report to reflect those aspects of the report where the group had a difference of opinion from the consultant. The finalization of the consultant’s report was due in large part to the in-kind hours spent by the task group and the group’s multi-stakeholder membership with its varied nature and range of odour-related v expertise and experience as well as excellent support received from the CASA Secretariat in addressing some of the challenges associated with finalizing the consultant’s report. vi 1. Introduction In January 2013 the Odour Management Team (OMT) was formed to undertake a project directed at advancing odour management in Alberta. The work of the OMT was divided into seven interrelated topics including, Complaints, Odour Assessment, Prevention/Mitigation, Enforcement/Role of Regulation, Health, Education /Communication /Awareness, and Continuous Improvement. The OMT prioritized three areas that first began to work on their topics; odour assessment, complaints, and health. The Odour Assessment Task Group (OATG) was formed in October 2013 to carry out work listed under ‘Odour Assessment’ in the OMT’s Project Charter (March 2013). Each task group deliverable was achieved through the collaboration and consensus agreement of all members. The group developed their workplan and established roles and responsibilities for each member to clearly articulate the interests of their stakeholders and to establish effective communication with decision makers in the organizations/groups they represent. Members outlined ground rules for how they would all work together; their basic rules of procedure and behaviour. All members agreed to maintain main principles throughout their work. To meet their objectives the task group: Met 12 times through in-person and teleconference meetings, Spent over 550 in-kind hours in and between meetings developing and reviewing deliverables, and Came in marginally over their allocated budget from the OMT. This task group final report outlines the work of the Odour Assessment Task Group, describes their deliverables, and provides advice to the OMT for consideration and inclusion in their project deliverables, including the Good Practice Guide (GPG) and final report. 2. Overview of tasks 2.1 Vision and Intended Audience The Project Charter outlines a vison for odour assessment that “effective management of existing or potential odour issues requires practical, credible and appropriate tools to assess odour. The results of an odour assessment can be used to determine the appropriate type and level of response to address an existing