Sludge Watch ==> Perth Australia - anger over sludge storage shed for mountains of excrement

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sunday Times
Perth, Australia

June 4, 2006 Sunday
Country Edition

Anger over sewage bid

BRADEN QUARTERMAINE


A FARMING community north or Perth is split over a Water Corporation plan to 
build storage sheds there for mountains of treated human excrement.

Opponents fear the Moore River, just 2km from the site in Gillingarra, 135km 
north of Perth, could be ruined.
The trial biosolids storage facility will be built on a private farm. 
Biosolids is the term for solid sewage sludge left after treatment.
Many locals are furious with the lack of safeguards, claiming there is no 
guarantee people's health or groundwater will not be affected.
The biosolids issue has divided people in the Moora and Victoria Plains 
area. Some farmers are strong advocates of using biosolids as a fertiliser 
to boost yields.
Local farmer Lana Kelly said opponents of the facility were shocked by the 
Water Corporation's lack of consulta-tion and what they claim are its 
''sneaky, covert tactics''.

''Everything was very carefully planned to restrict the community input and 
actually control us,'' Ms Kelly said. ''I am so surprised and I am so 
saddened, because before this happened I trusted the Water Corporation.'' Ms 
Kelly said it was a leap into the unknown.
''The scary thing is we don't know enough about this. We have to be so 
careful in protecting our environment. Why would you even risk it?'' she 
said.

The proposed biosolids storage trial has also been opposed by the local Yuat 
Aboriginal people.
Central Midlands Aboriginal Progress Association chairman Colin Headland 
said the beauty of the Moore River and the Mogumber Mission area would be 
destroyed.
''They go fishing, they catch turtles -- the young kids are being taught 
their culture there,'' he said.
''It's such a beautiful area. The river will die, it's as simple as that.''

Mr Headland said the risk of environmental damage was more important than 
farmers' desires to make more money.

The trial storage facility will be built on farmer Owen Cocking's property. 
He has been using biosolids for nine years and will receive a yearly rental 
fee from the Water Corporation.
''People have tried to make it like it's nuclear waste, but it's not, it's 
good stuff,'' he said. ''My yields have increased by 30 per cent.
''It's just the stigma of it (that causes opposition). It's no worse 
(environmentally) than your normal compound fertil-iser.
''I'm not scared of it. I've had it in a heap, within a kilometre and a half 
of the house all through the winter and I didn't smell it.''

Water Corporation wastewater treatment spokesman Mark Herbert said there was 
no threat to the community or the environment.
He said there had been ''a whole heap of consultation'' and a survey showed 
more than 60 per cent of locals sup-ported the idea. He admitted the trial 
was being done to find out more about
''unknowns'', particularly how to control flies.
Mr Herbert said there would be no damage to the river and the major risk was 
flies escaping the facility, but there were contingency plans in place for 
that.

quartermaineb at sundaytimes.
newsltd.com.au
www.watercorporation.com.au