Sludge Watch ==> Oxfound County Ontario - Farmers Fear Toronto Sludge Could Go to their Landfill

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Stratford Beacon Herald
Ontario Canada

June 10, 2006 Saturday
FINAL EDITION

OXFORD FARMERS SEEK COUNTY SUPPORT IN SLUDGE LOBBY;
FEAR TORONTO'S TREATED SEWAGE COULD END UP IN OXFORD LANDFILL

BY HUGO RODRIGUES, SPECIAL TO THE BEACON HERALD

WOODSTOCK

With the Michigan border set to close to Toronto's treated sewage sludge, 
the Oxford Federation of Agriculture is moving to ensure the sludge doesn't 
end up in Oxford's landfill.
Directors passed a resolution at their June board meeting to lobby the 
county to its side in a continuing sludge, or biosolid, lobby effort.
Back in the spring, the OCFA joined other county federations asking its 
members to turn down treated municipal biosolids, which are used as 
fertilizer on approved fields. By turning off the tap, it was hoped 
municipalities would feel the pressure of storing the treated sludge and 
help lobby upper orders of government for better farm support programs.
Currently, the county's Salford landfill is only certified to take biosolids 
produced in Oxford wastewater treatment plants, Warden Don Woolcott said. As 
such, the county is prepared to make its voice heard in saying it doesn't 
want Toronto sludge in its landfill.
"I imagine both (the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of 
Municipal Affairs and Housing) will be get-ting letters and resolutions from 
every municipality within 500 miles of Toronto saying the same thing," 
Woolcott said.
To date, Woolcott said he wasn't aware of any inquiries to the county as to 
whether its landfill would be open to sludge from Toronto or any other 
municipality.
That being said, Woolcott said he believes biosolids are a safe tool, a 
valuable nutrient offered at little to no cost to farmers to help their 
crops grow. Currently, only Woodstock's sludge is landfilled at all times -- 
though Woolcott said the Salford site does take other biosolids from county 
facilities intermittently throughout the year.
The majority of sludge being spread in Oxford doesn't actually originate in 
the county, with much of it being trucked in from municipalities such as the 
Region of Waterloo, London and Hamilton.
OCFA president John Gal has spoken to several contractors who truck treated 
biosolids and gained the support of one of them. Nathan Saarloos land 
application co-ordinator for Wessuc Inc., an organic waste management 
contractor wrote to the Region of Waterloo on May 4 advising it of the OCFA 
request and requesting the region's support.
To date, it's unknown whether any Oxford farmers have outright refused to 
accept treated biosolids on their fields this season.