Sludge Watch ==> Ontario: Prince Edward County extends bans on spreading sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

The Ontario sludge hauler Terratec has been hosting huddled meetings trying 
to get farmers to sign up for sludge.  Members of the public and media are 
barred from the meetings.  Sludgers are having a hard time recruiting new 
fields.   Farmers want to know about liability for water contamination, crop 
damage, and soil pollution from sludge.  They want to know about the 
pharmaceuticals in the sludge runoff through worm holes and tile drains.  
Farmers want to know: "Who will indemnify farmers for all the damage and 
illness that sludge can cause?"

Recently neighbours to sludge sites have their properties devalued and their 
taxes reduced.

The March 2008 edition of Environmental Science and Engineering Magazine 
says:

"Another victim of the Walkerton tragedy has been acceptance of the land 
application of biosolids, with many landowners and municipalities denying 
permission to do so in order to play it safe.
Following a fire at a soon to be commissioned sludge pelletization facility, 
the biosolids disposal situation in Toronto became so desperate that the 
city currently trucks its biosolids to a landfill in Michigan."

Actually, the Michigan landfill was closed to any sewage sludge and Toronto 
has been trucking 7 or 8 hours away into landfills in Ohio and they were 
sending sludge 7 hours away to the now defunct 'FertiVal' site past 
Sherbrooke, in the province of Quebec.  Quebec won't allow  land application 
of Toronto sludge - or any anaerobically digested centrifuged sludges.)


County extends ban on spreading of biosolids
Posted By Bruce Bell
April 16, 2008


Prince Edward County has extended its ban on the spreading of biosolids - or 
sewage sludge, as it is known - on farmer's fields, at least until a 
consultant's report is completed, likely in late summer or early fall.

At Monday night's meeting at Shire Hall, council approved hiring a 
consultant to prepare a report on options for the disposal of biosolids in 
the municipality.

The Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) recently completed the terms of 
reference for the review and has budgeted $30,000 to hire the consultant.

In December, council believed it was implementing a four-month ban on 
spreading of biosolids when in fact it had just put a stop to developing 
more land for the spreading project. Monday night, council specifically 
banned the spreading of Prince Edward's sludge on local fields until the 
report is completed.

Sara Huerter of the EAC told council spreading sludge may have implications 
beyond resident's health after a recent Municipal Property Assessment 
Corporation (MPAC) decision in Trent Hills.

"This was strictly a health issue before but now it has moved beyond that 
and is starting to affect property values," she said. "MPAC is reducing the 
property taxes of a couple of families because they live near fields where 
biosolids are being spread. Not only has it made them sick, but now a 
government agency has determined it has affected their property value as 
well."

Huerter urged council to ban spreading until the report is concluded.

"Testing of biosolids has not changed since 1972 - my whole life - and we 
have been led to believe they are just the same now as they were then. In 
fact, research by Cornell (University) shows there could be as many as 516 
different organic materials in the (sludge)."

Some councillors did not support the ban, noting council could not ban the 
spreading of biosolids from other municipalities on Prince Edward fields.

"It's going to cost us a huge amount of money because we know it costs a lot 
more to dewater and then haul it off," said Coun. Lori Slik. "It will cost 
another $200,000 (for the entire year) out of our reserves if we do that and 
the users aren't going to pay for it. I have a real problem with that."

Fellow Ameliasburgh Coun. Sandy Latchford reminded Slik the report was due 
in late summer and would not cover the entire year.


"If the report is done by the end of August then it won't be the entire year 
we have to pay for the dewatering," she said. "But this is a major health 
concern and I hope councillors won't let money get in the way."

http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=988284Sludgewatch Admin:

The sludge hauler Terratec has been hosting meetings trying to get farmers 
to sign up for sludge.
Mark Janiec, Terratec manager, hosted a meeting today in Milton. Mr Janiec, 
the  Anyone


County extends ban on spreading of biosolids
Posted By Bruce Bell
April 16, 2008


Prince Edward County has extended its ban on the spreading of biosolids - or 
sewage sludge, as it is known - on farmer's fields, at least until a 
consultant's report is completed, likely in late summer or early fall.

At Monday night's meeting at Shire Hall, council approved hiring a 
consultant to prepare a report on options for the disposal of biosolids in 
the municipality.

The Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) recently completed the terms of 
reference for the review and has budgeted $30,000 to hire the consultant.

In December, council believed it was implementing a four-month ban on 
spreading of biosolids when in fact it had just put a stop to developing 
more land for the spreading project. Monday night, council specifically 
banned the spreading of Prince Edward's sludge on local fields until the 
report is completed.

Sara Huerter of the EAC told council spreading sludge may have implications 
beyond resident's health after a recent Municipal Property Assessment 
Corporation (MPAC) decision in Trent Hills.

"This was strictly a health issue before but now it has moved beyond that 
and is starting to affect property values," she said. "MPAC is reducing the 
property taxes of a couple of families because they live near fields where 
biosolids are being spread. Not only has it made them sick, but now a 
government agency has determined it has affected their property value as 
well."

Huerter urged council to ban spreading until the report is concluded.

"Testing of biosolids has not changed since 1972 - my whole life - and we 
have been led to believe they are just the same now as they were then. In 
fact, research by Cornell (University) shows there could be as many as 516 
different organic materials in the (sludge)."

Some councillors did not support the ban, noting council could not ban the 
spreading of biosolids from other municipalities on Prince Edward fields.

"It's going to cost us a huge amount of money because we know it costs a lot 
more to dewater and then haul it off," said Coun. Lori Slik. "It will cost 
another $200,000 (for the entire year) out of our reserves if we do that and 
the users aren't going to pay for it. I have a real problem with that."

Fellow Ameliasburgh Coun. Sandy Latchford reminded Slik the report was due 
in late summer and would not cover the entire year.

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"If the report is done by the end of August then it won't be the entire year 
we have to pay for the dewatering," she said. "But this is a major health 
concern and I hope councillors won't let money get in the way."

http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=988284