Sludge Watch ==> Today: ON THE BUSES - Hinkley Fights Back against Nursery Products

[Maureen Reilly]

Hinkley fights back
County to hear fears about biosolids plant
Andrew Silva, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2007 12:00:00 AM PST


The tiny desert community of Hinkley, made famous by the movie "Erin 
Brockovich," plans to be out in force today to fight a plan to process human 
waste eight miles from town.
The project was approved in November by the county Planning Commission on a 
4-0 vote, but Hinkley residents and environmentalists appealed that decision 
to the county Board of Supervisors.

Buses will take residents to the board's meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at 
the County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino.

Nursery Products wants to use a 160-acre site south of Highway 58 and west 
of Helendale Road to accept up to 2,000 tons per day of biosolids, the gooey 
leftovers from treating sewage.

The sludge would be mixed with green waste in long piles called windrows, up 
to 12 feet high, 30 feet wide and 1,000 feet long. The facility could 
process up to 400,000 tons per year, turning the material into high-quality 
fertilizer.

"This is an obsolete, dirty, polluting type of facility, and San Bernardino 
County should not approve it," said Kassie Siegal, an attorney with the 
Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that appealed the 
planning commission's decision.

Proponents of the


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
project argue that composting biosolids has been done for generations and is 
perfectly safe.
"There's zero scientific evidence this project has any health impacts," said 
Brian Lochrie, spokesman for Nursery Products.

The Planning Commission approved it in part because of its remote location. 
The nearest residence is 1.5 miles away, and Hinkley is eight miles to the 
east, roughly the distance between Rialto and Redlands.

The county planning staff is recommending the board reject the appeal and 
approve the project. Enough requirements are in place to ensure the facility 
will not present problems to distant neighbors or harm the environment, 
according to the staff report.

The company originally operated in Adelanto, but wound up getting sued by 
the city and also by the city of Los Angeles, which operated an electrical 
substation across the street.

Odor, flies and dust caused major problems at the substation, according to 
the suit filed by Los Angeles.

The Adelanto operation eventually shut down and Nursery Products officials 
began looking at Newberry Springs, another small, remote desert community, 
but opposition there was also fierce.

Norman Diaz of Hinkley has been leading the charge against the sludge 
facility.

"I'm not a politician. I'm a concerned father. I just don't think this is 
right. It's about air quality and kids being unsafe," he said.

He's optimistic that residents can persuade the board to reject the project.

In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences said there was no evidence that 
properly regulated biosolids had harmed public health, but also said 
"additional scientific work is needed to reduce persistent uncertainty about 
the potential for adverse human health effects from exposure to biosolids."


http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_5312529

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

Sludgewatch Admin:  "properly regulated biosolids" - hmmmmm....in my 
experience the sewage sludge land application sites are not 'well 
regulated'.  There is little oversight and the EPA regulators fail to 
require adherence to even the minimum 503 regulations.