Sludge Watch ==> Nursery Products Sludge Compost Hinkley - Air Quality Problems

[Maureen Reilly]

DEIR: Composting facility would affect air quality
By HOWARD DECKER Staff Writer
Desert Dispatch
Sept 27, 2006

HINKLEY -- The proposed Nursery Products LLC (NP) composting recycling 
facility would adversely affect air quality, according to a draft 
Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) released Monday.
T h e p ro p o s e d f a c i l i t y, 10 miles west of here on Highway 58, 
would have no impact or less than significant impacts, in 16 other 
categories, according to the DEIR prepared for the county Land Services 
Department.

There would be no impact or less than significant impact to aesthetics, 
agricultural resources, geology, soils, land use, mineral resources, noise, 
population, housing, public services, recreation and transportation/traffic, 
according to the DEIR.

The company proposes to process treated material from wastewater treatment 
facilities by combining what they call "biosolids," or treated human waste, 
from the treatment facilities with green waste such as tree bark and plant 
greenery. A large machine would mix, or turn, the two types of wastes, and 
the results would be similar to compost produced in many back yards, 
according to NP President Jeff Melberg. The facility would process 400,000 
tons per year of wastewater product and greenery.
According to the DEIR, the Mojave Desert Air Basin does not meet state and 
federal ambient air quality standards for ozone and particles in the air. 
The project, if built, would exceed Mojave Desert Air Quality Management 
District's emissions thresholds while in operation.

This "potentially significant impact" would be "significant and 
unmitigable," according to the DEIR.

When weighing the possible impact to air quality in the area, it should be 
noted that the NP facility would keep many trucks from having to make long 
distance trips to the facilities where the wastewater facilities now send 
their "biosolids," said NP consultant Geoffrey Swett.
The NP facility will save one million gallons of diesel fuel every year, he 
said, because the waste material will not have to be hauled long distances. 
Some cities, such as Barstow, send their water treatment facility wastes to 
Arizona. This would have a positive impact on air quality here, he said.
Many of the problems that the project could potentially cause can be fixed 
or mitigated, according to the DEIR.
Implementation of mitigation measures will reduce potential impacts to 
biological and cultural resources, hazards and hazardous materials, 
hydrology and water quality to a less than significant level, the report 
says.
The document discusses a proposed alternative site, a reduced-capacity 
alternative and a no-project alternative.
The proposed alternate site is at Fort Cady, near Interstate 40 and Fort 
Cady Road, east of Newberry Springs. The reducedcapacity alter native would 
process 320,000 tons of wastes per year instead of 400,000. Under the 
no-alternative option, no facility would be built and wastes would continue 
to be tricked to Kern County, Arizona, or other sites, according to the 
DEIR.
The DEIR will be circulated for public review and comment for 45 days. The 
county will hold a public information meeting on the proposed facility at 
6:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 11 at the Hinkley Elementary School, 37600 Hinkley 
Road.
Two area residents who oppose the NP facility were contacted, but they 
declined comment because they had not had time to read the DEIR. One, 
activist Norman Diaz, of Help Hinkley, said many opponents of the project 
will be at the Oct. 11 meeting to express their concerns.

http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/11593614429027.html

To see the full report contact Carrie Hyke San Bernardino County 909 387 
4147 chyke at usd.sbscounty.gov