Sludge Watch ==> Gainsville Florida sludge farm - revisited

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Let me go back to this story and point out some points of interest.

This farmer had to be paid to take sludge...EVEN when chemical fertilizer 
would have been been more finanacially beneficial.

Hmmmm what does that mean in English?  That means he is being paid out to 
take sludge instead paying to take the commercial fertilizer that would 
optimize his yeied and crop profits.

Getting paid to take waste...isn't that the definition of a landfill?  And 
at least landfills have regulatory obligations re groundwater testing, hours 
of operation, distance to neighbours etc.  So this farmer makes his money 
from taking waste to the detriment of his 'farm' income.

That is the real word of sludge.  Famers who can't make money from farming 
look to sludge tipping fees to make the bucks.   Well...don't we all feel 
better now?


Bright spot?  Yes...the big honkin sign that says "NO PUBLIC ACCESS - 
BIOMATERIAL SITE"
Every sludge farm should be obligated to put up a fence with these signs 
around the perimeter.


Los Angeles , Oxnard these cities cut to the chase...they ARE the farmer.  
No pretending a 'real' farmer wants these sludges.  Anything grown at these 
sludge farms should carry a label at point of sale.





>>
>>Back Article published May 7, 2006
>>May 7, 2006
>>
>>'Biomaterial' farm mystery solved
>>
>>By AMY REININK
>>
>>Sun staff writer
>>The farm just southwest of Archer on State Road 24 sits amid rolling 
>>hills,
>>with cattle grazing in its fields and silos rising in the distance.
>>
>>Phoebe Papadi calls it "the picture of a successful farm."
>>
>>Papadi, 56, drives by the farm every day on her commute from Gainesville 
>>to
>>Bronson Middle/High School, where she's a teacher.
>>
>>"The farm provides a changing landmark as the crops go through their
>>cycles," Papadi wrote to Since You Asked. "It is the bright spot in an
>>otherwise drab daily commute."
>>
>>Adding to its mystique, Papadi said the farm is guarded by large gates 
>>that
>>always seem to be closed, and signs that warn: "No Public Access -
>>Biomaterial Site."
>>
>>"Needless to say, I am very curious about it," Papadi wrote.
>>
>>The biomaterial referenced in the sign is what's commonly known as sludge,
>>and the 1,000-acre farm was the recipient of 3,581 dry tons of highly
>>treated wastewater from Gainesville Regional Utilities last year, said Kim
>>Zoltek, GRU's water and wastewater engineering director.
>>
>>The farm, which is owned by Roger Williams, uses biosolids produced during
>>the wastewater treatment process as fertilizer for its corn crops and for
>>grass. The corn goes to make feed for livestock, and the farm's cattle 
>>graze
>>on the grass.
>>
>>The wastewater treatment process produces a material that's rich in
>>phosphorus and nitrogen, nutrients commonly used in chemical fertilizer,
>>Zoltek said.
>>
>>"In the old days, people used to call it sludge, and it was disposed of in 
>>a
>>landfill," Zoltek said. "Now, it's recognized as a viable agricultural
>>product that serves a good environmental purpose. For the farmer, it
>>replaces chemical fertilizer. For us, we aren't paying to dispose of the
>>material and filling up landfills with it. It's a win-win relationship for
>>us and the farmer."
>>
>>GRU pays Williams $33,686 a year to apply the biosolids to his land, both
>>for the cost of applying the material and for the right to apply it
>>year-round, even when it might be more financially beneficial for Williams
>>to use chemical fertilizer, Zoltek said.
>>
>>GRU would pay more than $2 million more than that to haul the biosolids to 
>>a
>>landfill, Zoltek said.
>>
>>"As an environmental engineer, I see this as one of the neater things we 
>>get
>>to do," Zoltek said. "We get to see what could be a waste product reused 
>>in
>>a very beneficial way."
>>
>>Papadi said knowing more about the farm's operations would only increase 
>>her
>>enjoyment of it on her rides to and from work.
>>
>>"It sounds wonderful," Papadi said. "It sounds like a smart thing
>>environmentally and financially, for both the farmer and GRU. At least now
>>when I go by, I'll know what's going on there instead of just mulling it
>>over."
>>
>>Amy Reinink can be reached at 352-374-5088 or reinina at gvillesun.com.
>>
>>
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>>
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