Sludge Watch ==> Virginia - Senate Panel Passes 3 bills on sludge disposal

[Maureen Reilly]

Senate panel passes 3 bills that address sludge disposal
Mason Adams a nd Michael Sluss

RICHMOND -- A Senate panel passed a slate of bills Monday to give localities 
a greater say in the disposal of sewer sludge.

The Senate Agricultural Committee unanimously passed three bills dealing 
with the regulation of biosolids. Senate Bill 1300 and Senate Bill 1313 give 
localities more of a say in choosing sludge sites, allowing them to pass 
ordinances requiring permits before a site can be built. Senate Bill 1339 
puts all sludge regulation under the Virginia Department of Environmental 
Quality. It also sets a fee to apply sludge and requires that an inspector 
be on site during the application.

"Most of the bills are trying to give localities a little bit more 
flexibility than they've had in the past dealing with the problems, making 
sure they have in place regulations they can enforce, and giving them some 
sort of voice to control things in their county without being unreasonable," 
said Sen. Charles Hawkins, R-Chatham, who is carrying SB 1313.

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, who is sponsoring SB 1300 and SB 1339, said 
he was prompted to file the bills after seeing photographs and descriptions 
of a sludge disposal site near Otter Creek.

"What we had in Bedford County was a sludge lake that had been hulled out of 
the earth on the side of the mountain and filled with human waste," Newman 
said. "It wasn't something that was there for a week or two, it didn't smell 
for a little while. It was permanent."

What made things worse were when heavy rains hit, causing the pond to 
overflow and send sludge toward the creek.

"It's not only an environmental disaster but also a property rights disaster 
for neighboring areas," Newman said.

Although his proposed legislation won't affect that sludge pond, it gives 
localities a tool to regulate future sludge situations, he said.


http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/wb/xp-101294