Sludge Watch ==> Wyoming City MN - farmers paid $200 per acre to take sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Dear Sludge-using Farmers

Are you getting paid $200 per acre to take big city sewer sludge?
Well, these farmers are getting paid that much.

Guess you might have to do some negociating at the farm gate.
Some lawyers also recommend that farmers be indemnified for damage that the 
sludge may cause...just in case your family or your neighbours or your 
consumers or your animals get sick from the sludge.

I can't think of any other 'fertilizer' that is so nasty that farmers get 
paid to take it.


.............................................................

Council backs watershed change
Wednesday, 05 December 2007
Alice Pickering
Wyoming Reporter

Wyoming City Coouncil has voted to support a change in the Comfort 
Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District legislative designation as a 
Metropolitan Watershed Management Organization.

Action came at the council’s meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

About 40 percent of the watershed is non-metro (Chisago County) with the 
balance in Washington County under metro jurisdiction.

Instead of having regulations for the watershed split between out-state and 
metropolitan water management, this would place the entire watershed under 
the rules (MS 103B) which focuses more on managing water resources in 
metropolitan areas.

According to documents presented to the council, the change in designation 
will result in more collaboration with local stakeholders, and a more 
efficient and less costly process of implementing projects to address 
district water quality impairments.

Legislative support comes from State Reps. Bob Dettmer (R-52A) of Forest 
Lake, and Jeremy Kalin (DFL-17B) of Lindstrom, and State Sens.tors Rick 
Olseen (DFL-17) of Harris, and Ray Vandeveer (R-52) of Forest Lake.

Other supporters of the change in statutory designation are the Board of 
Water and Soil Resources, Chisago County Board of Commissioners, Chisago 
SWCD, Washington County Board of Commissioners, Washington County 
Conservation District, city of Forest Lake, and Wyoming Township.

As another part of the consent agenda, council authorized payment for three 
landowners for sludge application. These payments are to landowners who 
consent to have sludge from the decommissioned waste-water treatment ponds 
applied to their land. Payments are $200 an acre.

A total cost of $18,830 is being paid to landowners.  The land lies fallow 
for a full year after application of the sludge.

The consent agenda was approved by a vote of 4-0.


http://forestlaketimes.com/content/view/68/43/