Flow chart outlining the process for selecting odour assessment tools for preparing or evaluating resource consents for an existing industrial or trade activity

Text description of flow chart

1. Determine presence or absence of chronic effects. Use:

   Assessment Tool	Priority	Comments
   Complaint records	High	Complaints should be classified as validated by a council officer, or from wind-direction records, or as simply registered but not confirmed.
   Industry/council experience	High	Experiences of the industry or regional council with the discharge.
   Community consultation	High	Periodic meetings with community representatives from community associations. Look for anecdotal evidence of community feeling about odour effects.
   Odour annoyance survey	High	Urban and semi-urban areas. Assess against percent at-least annoyed criterion.
   Meteorology and terrain assessment	Moderate to high	Use to assess potential for downwind adverse effects as a result of poor dispersion around terrain features or in particular meteorological conditions.
   Odour diaries and weather monitoring	Moderate	Isolated areas with low population densities. Assess the frequency, duration, and strength of odour impact events and associated experiences over six months, or a longer time period if necessary, to encompass a specific season.
   Review of emission control system(s)	Moderate	Look for compliance with best practicable option (BPO), or industry codes of practice.
   Olfactometry and modelling of odour sources	Moderate to low	Generally this tool is not recommended for existing activities unless for assessing the potential effect of proposed plant changes, confirming actual emission rate changes following new procedures and/pr new plant commissioning etc, or distinguishing the activity in question from other similar activities in the region.

2. Are there any significant chronic effects? If yes, becomes a category (2) activity. If no, go to step 3.
3. Determine acute adverse effects, either already present on occasion, or with the potential to occur. Use:

   Assessment Tool	Priority	Comments
   Complaint records	High	Have any complaints been attributed to acute events?
   Industry/council experience and records	High	As for chronic effects.
   Community consultation	High	As for chronic effects.
   Review of odour management plan and contingency procedures	High	What is the level of acceptable risk for uncontrolled odour discharges? Consider high-probability/low-impact events, and low-probability/high-impact events. Is BPO being utilised?
   Odour annoyance survey	Low	If the acute effects are infrequent, surveys may not reflect the impact of the effect on the surrounding environment.
   Odour diaries and weather monitoring	Low	If the acute effects are infrequent, diaries may not reflect the impact of the effect on the surrounding environment.
   Olfactometry and modelling of odour sources	Low	Not recommended as an assessment tool for occasional or periodic releases of odour.

4. Are the acute effects adequately protected against. If no, becomes a category (2) activity. If yes, evaluation is complete.