The Orange County Sanitation District in Huntington Beach, California provides wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal services for approximately 2.6 million people. They had a combination of loud industrial equipment, cavernous space, and highly reflective surfaces creating an acoustic nightmare.

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority in Albuquerque, New Mexico operates a 76-million gallons per day (rated capacity) wastewater treatment plant that treats a daily average of five million gallons of sewage from New Mexico’s largest city and its surroundings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), some 22 million U.S. workers are currently exposed to hazardous noise conditions. Excessive workplace noise is linked not only to hearing loss, but also to a host of other medical conditions, including cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Industrial plants are known for being loud, acoustically-harsh environments. The combination of high ceilings, reflective surfaces and heavy machinery din creates an environment for reverberation and noise. Such conditions can decrease productivity and increase health and safety hazards. 

Industrial plants are known for being loud, acoustically-harsh environments. The combination of high ceilings, reflective surfaces and the din from heavy machinery creates an optimal environment for reverberation and noise.