Pedro Barreiro, Manager of the Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia, has stated that: "Those of us involved in wastewater management know that odours have been the main source of complaints from communities in the immediate vicinity of our wastewater treatment plants.

Over time we have learned that we must not only treat wastewater, but we must do so with the least impact and avoid unnecessary nuisance. This is possible by dedicating resources to research, to new technologies, in short, by investing in our facilities.

For this reason, for the Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia, participating in the 9th IWA conference on odours and VOCs is an excellent opportunity to share experiences, learn from success stories and continue improving in order to provide an excellent service to the public, in a fundamental area for sustainability such as wastewater treatment."

Amaia Barredo, Vice-Minister of Environmental Sustainability, highlights "The Basque Country's commitment to continue the work already started, monitoring VOCs with mobile laboratories in response to odour incidents".

According to Barredo, "In recent years considerable investment has been made in mobile equipment capable of tracking VOCs, many of which generate odours. The Department's intention is to continue working along these lines, increasing resources and focusing on specific campaigns to improve the situation at certain points with specific problems such as odours".