Sludge Watch ==> Toronto Sun: Here Come Da Sludge

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

http://torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Levy_Sue-Ann/2006/08/24/1772690.html

August 24, 2006

Here come da sludge
By SUE-ANN LEVY

It seems I was not far off in my predictions that the Millerites would be 
up, er, "sewage" creek without a Plan B once the city's sewage sludge was no 
longer welcome in Michigan.

I'm referring to the 160,000 tonnes per year (15 pungent truckloads per day) 
of human waste that Republic Services decided to no longer accept at its 
Michigan landfill as of Aug. 1, due to a state environmental order.

Two months ago, I suggested Mayor David Miller and his minions would not 
have their, er, act together to handle this relatively miniscule amount of 
city waste.

If they can't deal with the sewage sludge, what would they ever do with the 
875,000 tonnes of Toronto trash being shipped to Michigan each year should 
U.S. lawmakers make good on their threats to close the border? Hope the 
mayor has a big backyard!

Predictably, city officials scrambled at the last minute to find 
alternatives for the sludge. As of this week, they're still not sure what to 
do with as much of half of it.

Frank Quarisa, the city's director of Wastewater Treatment, said the 
situation is "kind of fluid" right now. "We're dealing with this on a 
month-to-month (basis)," he said.

There are two new contracts. One is with GSI Environment Inc. of Burlington 
and another with Ferti-Val of Quebec to compost some of the sludge in Quebec 
and landfill some in New York. Terratec Environmental Inc. will be taking 
the rest to spread as fertilizer on farmers' fields.

He said the land applications should be good until the end of November, but 
that very much depends on climate. Then they have "some options" in terms of 
increasing their quantities to the two new suppliers or "supplementing their 
list of suppliers," he added.

The "pellitizer" facility being rebuilt at the Ashbridges Bay after a fire 
damaged it earlier this year should come on line sometime this winter. Once 
it's in full production -- the date is yet to be determined -- that should 
take care of half of the sewage sludge, he said.

The situation "has to be actively managed from month to month," said 
Quarisa, who also confirmed there has "clearly" been an increase in cost to 
deal with the sewage sludge, but he's not sure how much as of yet.

Now, I don't want to criticize Quarisa -- indeed, he and his associates have 
had to do considerable scrambling -- but it sure doesn't sound to me like 
our city leaders are flush with options.

As has become his habit, instead of showing decisive leadership, Miller 
wasted precious time and money (some $80,000 and counting to date) seeking 
an injunction to force Republic to continue taking the city's human waste 
for another 90 days. The same mayor who didn't seem to think contracts to 
build a bridge to the Island Airport or to refurbish Union Station were 
worth the paper they were printed on mewled that Republic was contractually 
obligated to accept Toronto's sludge. (Superior Court Justice Katherine 
Swinton ruled otherwise, dismissing the city's application.)

Maureen Reilly, executive director of Sludge Watch, said yesterday the city 
never in fact had a contract to deal with the sewage sludge and the lawsuit 
was little more than "eye candy" to divert public attention from the city's 
mismanagement of the entire waste issue.

"They (city officials) say they have it all covered but they won't tell us 
where (exactly) it's going," she said, adding that she's suspicious of how 
much sludge can be used for land applications because it is "so stinky."

Yesterday, works committee chairman Shelley Carroll -- eyeing the impending 
November election -- contended they're good for two to three years with the 
contracts that have been established and that the piecemeal plan (she called 
it various solutions) is really not far off "the draft master plan" for 
dealing with Toronto's waste.

In other words, don't worry, be happy, all is well.

Right. I can smell political horse manure a kilometre away.