A Dust and Odour Management Plan (DOMP) is a regulatory document that describes how a site will prevent, minimize and respond to dust and odour emissions throughout its operational life. Unlike general dust control measures that focus on day-to-day suppression techniques, the DOMP is a formal planning document that satisfies regulatory requirements, defines accountability and creates a structured framework for managing air quality impacts before they become violations or community complaints.

Whether you are operating a construction site, landfill, composting facility, wastewater treatment plant or industrial operation, regulators increasingly require a written management plan that addresses both dust and odour. This guide walks through every component your plan needs, the regulatory triggers that make it mandatory and practical templates you can adapt for your site.

When Is a Dust and Odour Management Plan Required?

Regulatory triggers vary by jurisdiction but several common scenarios require a formal DOMP:

  • Environmental permit conditions - Most operating permits for landfills, composting facilities, aggregate operations and industrial sites include a condition requiring a dust and odour management plan as part of the approval
  • Construction activity thresholds - Many municipalities require a DOMP for construction projects that disturb more than 0.5 hectares of land or operate within 100 metres of sensitive receptors like schools, hospitals and residential areas
  • Complaint-driven requirements - Regulators may issue orders requiring a DOMP after receiving repeated dust or odour complaints from the community, even if the original permit did not require one
  • Environmental assessment conditions - Projects that undergo environmental impact assessment often receive conditions of approval that include dust and odour management planning
  • Municipal bylaw requirements - Local bylaws in many Canadian and US jurisdictions now require dust management plans for demolition, earthworks and material handling operations
  • Voluntary adoption - Proactive operators develop DOMPs to reduce liability exposure, improve community relations and create defensible records of due diligence

Even when not explicitly required, having a documented plan demonstrates regulatory good faith and provides legal protection if complaints or enforcement actions arise.

Core Components of a Dust and Odour Management Plan

A complete DOMP follows a logical structure that moves from site context through emission identification, control measures, monitoring and response protocols. The following sections form the backbone of any effective plan.

1. Site Description and Context

Begin with a thorough description of the site and its surroundings. This section establishes the baseline context that all subsequent control measures are built upon:

  • Site location, legal description and total area
  • Current and proposed land use activities
  • Surrounding land uses and distances to nearest sensitive receptors (residences, schools, hospitals, parks, food production facilities)
  • Prevailing wind direction and seasonal wind patterns
  • Local topography and natural barriers
  • Soil types and erosion susceptibility
  • Climate data including average rainfall, dry periods and freeze-thaw cycles
  • Site plan showing all emission sources, receptor locations and monitoring points

2. Emission Source Inventory

Identify every potential source of dust and odour on the site. Be specific and comprehensive - regulators will measure your plan against actual site conditions:

Common dust sources:

  • Unpaved roads and haul routes
  • Stockpiles of soil, aggregate, waste materials and raw materials
  • Excavation and grading operations
  • Demolition activities
  • Material loading, unloading and transfer points
  • Crushing, screening and processing equipment
  • Wind erosion from exposed surfaces
  • Vehicle tracking onto public roads

Common odour sources:

  • Organic waste handling and composting
  • Wastewater treatment processes
  • Contaminated soil excavation and treatment
  • Chemical storage and handling
  • Landfill working faces and gas emissions
  • Painting, coating and solvent operations
  • Asphalt production and paving

3. Dust Control Measures

For each identified dust source, specify the control measures that will be applied. Effective dust management uses a hierarchy of controls:

Prevention (most effective):

  • Paving permanent haul roads and high-traffic areas
  • Enclosing material processing equipment
  • Using covered conveyors instead of truck haulage
  • Scheduling high-dust activities during lower-wind periods
  • Minimizing exposed surface area at any given time

Suppression:

  • Water application using water trucks, sprinklers or misting systems with application rates and frequencies specified
  • Chemical dust suppressants (calcium chloride, polymer emulsions, lignin sulfonates) with product specifications and reapplication schedules
  • Wind fencing and barriers around stockpiles and exposed areas
  • Vegetation establishment on long-term exposed surfaces

Containment:

  • Covering stockpiles with tarps, plastic sheeting or crusting agents
  • Wheel wash stations at site exits
  • Rumble strips and gravel pads at exit points
  • Street sweeping of adjacent public roads

4. Odour-Specific Control Measures

Odour management requires different strategies than dust control because odour compounds are gaseous and can travel much farther at lower concentrations that are still detectable by the human nose:

Source control:

  • Covering or enclosing odour-generating processes
  • Minimizing the time that odorous materials are exposed to the atmosphere
  • Managing waste acceptance rates to match processing capacity
  • Maintaining aerobic conditions in composting and waste treatment operations
  • Proper chemical storage with sealed containers and secondary containment

Treatment technologies:

  • Biofilters for air extracted from enclosed spaces
  • Carbon adsorption systems for chemical odours
  • Chemical scrubbers for specific compounds like hydrogen sulphide
  • Misting systems with odour-neutralizing agents at source boundaries

Buffer zones and setbacks:

  • Document required setback distances from sensitive receptors based on the type and intensity of odour sources
  • Identify natural and engineered barriers that provide odour dispersion
  • Reference dispersion modelling results if available

5. Odour Assessment Methods

Unlike dust which can be measured with standard particulate monitors, odour assessment involves both instrumental and sensory methods:

  • Odour surveys - Trained assessors conduct sniff tests at property boundaries and receptor locations following standardized protocols (EN 16841 or equivalent)
  • Olfactometry - Laboratory analysis of air samples using calibrated human panels to determine odour concentration in odour units per cubic metre (OU/m3)
  • Ambient monitoring - Continuous or periodic measurement of indicator compounds (H2S, ammonia, VOCs) using portable or fixed instruments
  • Dispersion modelling - Computer models (AERMOD, CALPUFF) that predict odour concentrations at receptor locations based on emission rates, meteorological data and terrain
  • Community odour diaries - Structured reporting forms distributed to nearby residents to track frequency, intensity and character of odour events

6. Monitoring Program

Your DOMP must include a monitoring program that verifies control measures are working and provides data for adaptive management:

Dust monitoring methods:

  • Visual inspections on a defined schedule (daily during active operations is typical)
  • Depositional dust gauges at property boundaries and receptor locations
  • Real-time particulate monitors (PM10, PM2.5, TSP) at key locations
  • Opacity readings from stacks and process vents
  • Trigger-level monitoring that activates additional controls when concentrations exceed thresholds

Odour monitoring methods:

  • Scheduled boundary odour surveys by trained personnel
  • Ambient H2S and ammonia monitoring at property boundaries
  • Process parameter monitoring (temperature, moisture, oxygen levels) as odour indicators
  • Weather station data to correlate odour events with meteorological conditions

7. Complaint Response Protocol

A credible DOMP includes a structured complaint response system that demonstrates the operator takes community concerns seriously:

  • Complaint intake - Designate a contact person and phone number for receiving complaints. Define what information is collected (date, time, location, weather conditions, odour description, duration)
  • Initial response - Commit to a response timeframe (within 2 hours during operating hours is a common standard)
  • Investigation - Document the process for investigating complaints including site inspection, monitoring data review and correlation with operational activities
  • Corrective action - Describe how additional control measures will be implemented if the investigation confirms the complaint is linked to site activities
  • Follow-up - Contact the complainant with findings and actions taken
  • Complaint log - Maintain a register of all complaints, investigations and outcomes that is available for regulatory review

8. Record Keeping and Reporting

Document every element of plan implementation:

  • Daily operational logs showing control measures applied
  • Monitoring data and results
  • Complaint records and investigation reports
  • Maintenance records for control equipment
  • Training records for site personnel
  • Annual summary reports comparing performance against plan objectives
  • Plan revision history

DOMP Checklist Template

Use this checklist to verify your plan is complete before submission:

  • Site context - Site plan, receptor map, wind rose, climate data
  • Source inventory - All dust sources listed and mapped, all odour sources listed and mapped
  • Control measures - Dust controls specified for each source, odour controls specified for each source, trigger conditions defined for escalating controls
  • Buffer zones - Setback distances documented, dispersion modelling referenced if applicable
  • Monitoring program - Dust monitoring locations and methods, odour monitoring locations and methods, monitoring frequency and schedule, action levels and trigger thresholds
  • Complaint protocol - Contact person designated, response timeframes committed, investigation procedure documented, complaint log template prepared
  • Records - Log templates prepared, reporting schedule defined, document retention period specified
  • Roles and responsibilities - Site manager responsibilities, operator responsibilities, environmental coordinator responsibilities
  • Review and update - Annual review commitment, trigger events for plan updates (new activities, complaints, regulatory changes)

Common Mistakes That Get Plans Rejected

Regulatory reviewers see the same deficiencies repeatedly. Avoid these common failures:

  • Generic language without site-specific detail - Stating "water will be applied as needed" without specifying application rates, equipment, frequency and trigger conditions
  • Missing odour component - Many plans address dust thoroughly but treat odour as an afterthought or omit it entirely
  • No monitoring program - Control measures without verification monitoring are unenforceable
  • No complaint response protocol - Regulators want to see a structured system, not just a phone number
  • Failure to address off-site impacts - Plans that only consider on-site conditions without evaluating impacts at receptor locations
  • No adaptive management - Plans must describe how controls will be escalated when standard measures are insufficient
  • Missing accountability - Every control measure should have a responsible person or role assigned

Example Control Measures by Industry

Construction Sites

Construction DOMPs typically emphasize dust from earthworks, demolition and material handling. Key measures include daily watering of active work areas, covering haul trucks, limiting vehicle speeds to 15 km/h on unpaved surfaces, stabilizing completed areas within 14 days and maintaining a 50-metre buffer of undisturbed vegetation where possible.

Composting Facilities

Composting operations generate both dust from material handling and odour from decomposition processes. Effective plans maintain carbon-to-nitrogen ratios between 25:1 and 35:1, turn windrows on schedules that balance aeration needs against odour release, install biofilters on enclosed processing areas and use negative-pressure buildings for receiving and processing operations.

Aggregate Operations

Quarries and gravel pits focus on dust from crushing, screening, hauling and wind erosion of stockpiles. Best practice includes enclosed crushers and screens with baghouse dust collection, chemical suppressants on haul roads reapplied every 2-4 weeks, progressive rehabilitation of exhausted pit faces and real-time PM10 monitoring with automatic process shutdowns at trigger levels.

Digital Tools for DOMP Implementation

Managing a DOMP with paper forms and spreadsheets creates gaps in record keeping and makes it difficult to demonstrate compliance during audits. Modern environmental management platforms allow operators to digitize their entire dust and odour management workflow.

With a platform like EnviroLog, you can log daily inspections, record monitoring data, track complaints through resolution, generate compliance reports and maintain a complete audit trail. Automated alerts can notify responsible personnel when monitoring results approach trigger levels, ensuring corrective action happens before violations occur.

A well-written Dust and Odour Management Plan is not just a regulatory checkbox - it is an operational tool that protects your business from fines, shutdowns, community opposition and legal liability. Invest the time to build it properly and use digital tools to keep it alive throughout your project lifecycle.