Sludge Watch ==> N-Viro Nova Scotia - intend to spread sludge CKD on dairy pasture
Maureen Reilly
maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca
Tue Feb 12 21:40:55 EST 2008
Sludgewatch Admin:
There is a proposal to put N-Viro - a combination of Halifax sewage sludge
and thallium contaminated cement kiln dust from Lafarge cement in Brookfield
- on dairy pasture in Nova Scotia.
Unfortunately - it is pasture grazing that most facilitates the movement of
persistant toxic compounds like PBDE flame retardents into the human food
chain through milk and meat. The N-viro material is touted as an
agricultural lime, but this means is should only be applied once every 5
years. So that means lots of acreage across Nova Scotia.
Hundreds of farmers, rural residents, and food consumers would have to be
pursuaded that the toxic tailings of the sewer, waste burning cement kiln
combustion, and the thallium and endocrine disruptors that go with it is
what they want near their homes and in their food. Experts at a Nova Scotia
showing of Sludge Diet said that landfilling sludges, or use of sludge for
energy production are less toxic venues for sludge management than N-Viro
sludge on pasture land.
Elizabeth May, the head of the Green Party is talking about establishing a
Nova Scotia reputation for food excellence and safety. This plan could go
down the toilet if these contaminated residuals are placed on dairy pasture
in the province.
The story below states that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved
the N-Viro material as a fertilizer. But that may not be the case, since no
approval or registration is required.
Right now months of the N-Viro sludge material are sitting in storage at the
N-Viro facility. Waiting for spring.
..............................................................
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture: Courted to put sludge on pasture land
http://www.nsfa-fane.ca/content%5Carticles%5Cinfo%5Cenews091107.htm#link1
Producer Tour – N-Viro Plant
There will be a producer tour of the N-Viro Plant at the Aerotech Park,
Halifax County on Thursday, November 29th. The bus will be leaving the new
NS Federation of Agriculture parking lot (332 Willow Street) at 11:00 am.
There will be a tour of the plant and than the bus will take us to the local
hotel for lunch. There will be a presentation and time for questions over
lunch. We should be back to Truro by 3:00. The plant will have a couple of
thousand tonnes of product for you to look at. You must register in order
to participate in this tour as there is limited room. If you are interested
in going on the tour, please contact Lise LeBlanc by email or phone at
792-2636 to indicate if you are traveling on the bus or finding your own
transportation directly to the Plant. Numbers for the bus and lunch must be
confirmed by November 21st.
Information on N-Viro
N-Viro has received the contract for the treated Halifax biosolids and have
built a plant at the Aerotech Park where they further treat it with a liming
component and high heat temperatures (Alkaline Stabilization Technology). It
is approved as a fertilizer by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the
Canada Fertilizer Act.
There are currently 3 plants in Ontario, one plant in NS and PEI. There are
numerous plants in the United States. Over 25 years of research has gone
into the use of N-Viro on agricultural land. In Ontario, N-Viro is used on
carrots, onions, corn and other high value crops. It is anticipated that the
product will be mainly used on forages and pastures in Nova Scotia.
N-Viro provides both lime and fertilizers to the crop. Application is 2:1 in
comparison to lime and is very soluble which increases soil pH faster than
lime and is similar to a calcitic lime. It is applied with a lime spreader.
Based on average analysis in Ontario, a 6 tonne/ha rate should provide
approximately 100 lbs of Nitrogen, 100 lbs of phosphorus and 250 lbs of
potash. It also supplies the crop with about 65 lbs of magnesium, 260 lbs
of sulfur, 1850 lbs of calcium and 2600 lbs of organic matter. At this rate,
there is over $250 worth of fertility! It will be a cost effective product
for producers as a lime + fertilizer soil amendment.
This product will be distributed by Truro Agromart. For further
information, their website is http://www.nvirosoil.com/
.......................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local dairies spreading N-Viro Class A sewage sludge fertilizer to raise
soil pH should be aware they are exposing their land and animals to toxic
industrial wastes.
It is official EPA policy to allow the dumping of landfill and Superfund
leachates and dangerous chemicals from business and industries into public
sewers, where the wastewater treatment process reconcentrates the pollutants
in the sewage sludge, except for some toxins which are discharged to surface
waters in the sewage effluent.
Federal law allows every business and industry in the country to dump 33
pounds of hazardous wastes into public sewers each month with no reporting
requirements. Dumping of ACUTELY hazardous wastes requires only a one-time
notification.
The N-Viro process mixes the sludge with a wide variety of
industrial inputs (spent foundry sand, cement kiln dust, fly ash, etc). The
federal Part 503
sludge guidelines require testing for only a few metals and there are no
requirements
to test for very hazardous parameters like dioxins, thallium, beryllium,
PAHs,
tin, cyanide, PCBs etc. Highly alkaline sludge "fertilizer" can make some
toxic metals in the sludge
more available.
Dairy farms in Georgia and Missouri sued and won settlements after their
land was ruined and their dairy cows
were sickened and killed by sludge fertilizer pollutants, which are toxic,
persistent and bioaccumulative.
N-Viro sludge used near the Toledo, Ohio, Express Airport was found to
contain fecal coliform a violation of Class A pathogen rules.
Neighbors described the odors: ""It's like putting your head in a septic
tank,'' the Swanton Township woman
said. "It's like ammonia, fish, dead rats. It makes your throat burn and
makes your eyes water."
In February 2007, Schuyler, County, NY, residents described the odors from
the N-Viro product:
"Noxious, it smells like death, it's the only thing that people
describe it as," said Glenn Marsh, an Odessa resident."
Also, In February 2007, in Florida: "Wimpy's plans to reopen the old N-Viro
plant on the city's northern boundary
were met with skepticism and outrage in the nearby Fort Meade community,
where residents had fought to have the N-Viro operations shut down.
The company closed its wastewater treatment operations in 2001 after
neighbors and the city filed complaints about odor problems with the state
Department of Environmental Protection."
In 2003 in New Jersey, an N-Viro licensee was fined for water pollution
violations:
"TRENTON - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) today announced that Organic Agriculture, Inc. (OAI) located in
Warren County was issued a $15,000 fine for illegally discharging
pollutants into a tributary of the Pequest River."
In December 2004, the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection shut down
N-Viro licensee Hydropress Environmental
in Warren County for soil and water violations:
" According to the chairman, the two contaminants, cadmium and nitrates,
were previously found by the Warren Country Health Department on the farm
site and in neighboring wells. He said both are industrial by-product
contaminants not found in a normal farm operation that are hazardous to
human health. Rosebrock said they are concerned about contamination of other
townships wells because all of the properties in the township have wells
except the village of Brainards.
This past fall the Warren County Environmental Commission contacted Cornell
University Waste Management Institute, a nationally recognized leader on the
topic of sludge as fertilizer about the issue. The institute agreed to
analyze the soil and groundwater data once the testing is conducted.
Rosebrock reported that Cornell recommended a long list of things to test
for, including fecal coli forms, antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium,
chromium, cyanide, mercury, nitrate, and esoteric viruses. They also
recommended topography, soil, geology and sludge quality tests.
The chairman said they will continue to pursue the DEP on the issue. "The
sludge operation took its toll on many residents," Rosebrock said. "When the
sludge operation came to Harmony, some residents simply put their homes up
for sale."
Farmers are risking their land and animals by "fertilizing" with toxic
sewage sludge mixed with contaminated industrial wastes/combustion
byproducts.
Helane Shields, PO Box 1133, Alton, NH 03809 603-875-3842
Posted by: Mrs. Rooster on Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:50 pm
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture: Courted to put sludge on pasture land
http://www.nsfa-fane.ca/content%5Carticles%5Cinfo%5Cenews091107.htm#link1
Producer Tour – N-Viro Plant
There will be a producer tour of the N-Viro Plant at the Aerotech Park,
Halifax County on Thursday, November 29th. The bus will be leaving the new
NS Federation of Agriculture parking lot (332 Willow Street) at 11:00 am.
There will be a tour of the plant and than the bus will take us to the local
hotel for lunch. There will be a presentation and time for questions over
lunch. We should be back to Truro by 3:00. The plant will have a couple of
thousand tonnes of product for you to look at. You must register in order
to participate in this tour as there is limited room. If you are interested
in going on the tour, please contact Lise LeBlanc by email or phone at
792-2636 to indicate if you are traveling on the bus or finding your own
transportation directly to the Plant. Numbers for the bus and lunch must be
confirmed by November 21st.
Information on N-Viro
N-Viro has received the contract for the treated Halifax biosolids and have
built a plant at the Aerotech Park where they further treat it with a liming
component and high heat temperatures (Alkaline Stabilization Technology). It
is approved as a fertilizer by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the
Canada Fertilizer Act.
There are currently 3 plants in Ontario, one plant in NS and PEI. There are
numerous plants in the United States. Over 25 years of research has gone
into the use of N-Viro on agricultural land. In Ontario, N-Viro is used on
carrots, onions, corn and other high value crops. It is anticipated that the
product will be mainly used on forages and pastures in Nova Scotia.
N-Viro provides both lime and fertilizers to the crop. Application is 2:1 in
comparison to lime and is very soluble which increases soil pH faster than
lime and is similar to a calcitic lime. It is applied with a lime spreader.
Based on average analysis in Ontario, a 6 tonne/ha rate should provide
approximately 100 lbs of Nitrogen, 100 lbs of phosphorus and 250 lbs of
potash. It also supplies the crop with about 65 lbs of magnesium, 260 lbs
of sulfur, 1850 lbs of calcium and 2600 lbs of organic matter. At this rate,
there is over $250 worth of fertility! It will be a cost effective product
for producers as a lime + fertilizer soil amendment.
This product will be distributed by Truro Agromart. For further
information, their website is http://www.nvirosoil.com/
.......................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local dairies spreading N-Viro Class A sewage sludge fertilizer to raise
soil pH should be aware they are exposing their land and animals to toxic
industrial wastes.
It is official EPA policy to allow the dumping of landfill and Superfund
leachates and dangerous chemicals from business and industries into public
sewers, where the wastewater treatment process reconcentrates the pollutants
in the sewage sludge, except for some toxins which are discharged to surface
waters in the sewage effluent.
Federal law allows every business and industry in the country to dump 33
pounds of hazardous wastes into public sewers each month with no reporting
requirements. Dumping of ACUTELY hazardous wastes requires only a one-time
notification.
The N-Viro process mixes the sludge with a wide variety of
industrial inputs (spent foundry sand, cement kiln dust, fly ash, etc). The
federal Part 503
sludge guidelines require testing for only a few metals and there are no
requirements
to test for very hazardous parameters like dioxins, thallium, beryllium,
PAHs,
tin, cyanide, PCBs etc. Highly alkaline sludge "fertilizer" can make some
toxic metals in the sludge
more available.
Dairy farms in Georgia and Missouri sued and won settlements after their
land was ruined and their dairy cows
were sickened and killed by sludge fertilizer pollutants, which are toxic,
persistent and bioaccumulative.
N-Viro sludge used near the Toledo, Ohio, Express Airport was found to
contain fecal coliform a violation of Class A pathogen rules.
Neighbors described the odors: ""It's like putting your head in a septic
tank,'' the Swanton Township woman
said. "It's like ammonia, fish, dead rats. It makes your throat burn and
makes your eyes water."
Local farmers in Nova Scotia refused to take N-Viro "fertilizer" after
Halifax, NS, sludge was mixed with cement kiln ashes from the Brookfield,
LaFarge facility.
The cement kiln was burning used oil, which made the dust/sludge combination
too contaminated for farm fields. LaFarge also planning to burn used tires
in the kiln, with the wastes spread on farm land.
In February 2007, Schuyler, County, NY, residents described the odors from
the N-Viro product:
"Noxious, it smells like death, it's the only thing that people
describe it as," said Glenn Marsh, an Odessa resident."
Also, In February 2007, in Florida: "Wimpy's plans to reopen the old N-Viro
plant on the city's northern boundary
were met with skepticism and outrage in the nearby Fort Meade community,
where residents had fought to have the N-Viro operations shut down.
The company closed its wastewater treatment operations in 2001 after
neighbors and the city filed complaints about odor problems with the state
Department of Environmental Protection."
In 2003 in New Jersey, an N-Viro licensee was fined for water pollution
violations:
"TRENTON - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) today announced that Organic Agriculture, Inc. (OAI) located in
Warren County was issued a $15,000 fine for illegally discharging
pollutants into a tributary of the Pequest River."
In December 2004, the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection shut down
N-Viro licensee Hydropress Environmental
in Warren County for soil and water violations:
" According to the chairman, the two contaminants, cadmium and nitrates,
were previously found by the Warren Country Health Department on the farm
site and in neighboring wells. He said both are industrial by-product
contaminants not found in a normal farm operation that are hazardous to
human health. Rosebrock said they are concerned about contamination of other
townships wells because all of the properties in the township have wells
except the village of Brainards.
This past fall the Warren County Environmental Commission contacted Cornell
University Waste Management Institute, a nationally recognized leader on the
topic of sludge as fertilizer about the issue. The institute agreed to
analyze the soil and groundwater data once the testing is conducted.
Rosebrock reported that Cornell recommended a long list of things to test
for, including fecal coli forms, antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium,
chromium, cyanide, mercury, nitrate, and esoteric viruses. They also
recommended topography, soil, geology and sludge quality tests.
The chairman said they will continue to pursue the DEP on the issue. "The
sludge operation took its toll on many residents," Rosebrock said. "When the
sludge operation came to Harmony, some residents simply put their homes up
for sale."
Farmers are risking their land and animals by "fertilizing" with toxic
sewage sludge mixed with contaminated industrial wastes/combustion
byproducts.
Helane Shields, PO Box 1133, Alton, NH 03809 603-875-3842
Posted by: Mrs. Rooster on Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:50 pm
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture: Courted to put sludge on pasture land
http://www.nsfa-fane.ca/content%5Carticles%5Cinfo%5Cenews091107.htm#link1
Producer Tour – N-Viro Plant
There will be a producer tour of the N-Viro Plant at the Aerotech Park,
Halifax County on Thursday, November 29th. The bus will be leaving the new
NS Federation of Agriculture parking lot (332 Willow Street) at 11:00 am.
There will be a tour of the plant and than the bus will take us to the local
hotel for lunch. There will be a presentation and time for questions over
lunch. We should be back to Truro by 3:00. The plant will have a couple of
thousand tonnes of product for you to look at. You must register in order
to participate in this tour as there is limited room. If you are interested
in going on the tour, please contact Lise LeBlanc by email or phone at
792-2636 to indicate if you are traveling on the bus or finding your own
transportation directly to the Plant. Numbers for the bus and lunch must be
confirmed by November 21st.
Information on N-Viro
N-Viro has received the contract for the treated Halifax biosolids and have
built a plant at the Aerotech Park where they further treat it with a liming
component and high heat temperatures (Alkaline Stabilization Technology). It
is approved as a fertilizer by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the
Canada Fertilizer Act.
There are currently 3 plants in Ontario, one plant in NS and PEI. There are
numerous plants in the United States. Over 25 years of research has gone
into the use of N-Viro on agricultural land. In Ontario, N-Viro is used on
carrots, onions, corn and other high value crops. It is anticipated that the
product will be mainly used on forages and pastures in Nova Scotia.
N-Viro provides both lime and fertilizers to the crop. Application is 2:1 in
comparison to lime and is very soluble which increases soil pH faster than
lime and is similar to a calcitic lime. It is applied with a lime spreader.
Based on average analysis in Ontario, a 6 tonne/ha rate should provide
approximately 100 lbs of Nitrogen, 100 lbs of phosphorus and 250 lbs of
potash. It also supplies the crop with about 65 lbs of magnesium, 260 lbs
of sulfur, 1850 lbs of calcium and 2600 lbs of organic matter. At this rate,
there is over $250 worth of fertility! It will be a cost effective product
for producers as a lime + fertilizer soil amendment.
This product will be distributed by Truro Agromart. For further
information, their website is http://www.nvirosoil.com/
.......................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local dairies spreading N-Viro Class A sewage sludge fertilizer to raise
soil pH should be aware they are exposing their land and animals to toxic
industrial wastes.
It is official EPA policy to allow the dumping of landfill and Superfund
leachates and dangerous chemicals from business and industries into public
sewers, where the wastewater treatment process reconcentrates the pollutants
in the sewage sludge, except for some toxins which are discharged to surface
waters in the sewage effluent.
Federal law allows every business and industry in the country to dump 33
pounds of hazardous wastes into public sewers each month with no reporting
requirements. Dumping of ACUTELY hazardous wastes requires only a one-time
notification.
The N-Viro process mixes the sludge with a wide variety of
industrial inputs (spent foundry sand, cement kiln dust, fly ash, etc). The
federal Part 503
sludge guidelines require testing for only a few metals and there are no
requirements
to test for very hazardous parameters like dioxins, thallium, beryllium,
PAHs,
tin, cyanide, PCBs etc. Highly alkaline sludge "fertilizer" can make some
toxic metals in the sludge
more available.
Dairy farms in Georgia and Missouri sued and won settlements after their
land was ruined and their dairy cows
were sickened and killed by sludge fertilizer pollutants, which are toxic,
persistent and bioaccumulative.
N-Viro sludge used near the Toledo, Ohio, Express Airport was found to
contain fecal coliform a violation of Class A pathogen rules.
Neighbors described the odors: ""It's like putting your head in a septic
tank,'' the Swanton Township woman
said. "It's like ammonia, fish, dead rats. It makes your throat burn and
makes your eyes water."
Local farmers in Nova Scotia refused to take N-Viro "fertilizer" after
Halifax, NS, sludge was mixed with cement kiln ashes from the Brookfield,
LaFarge facility.
The cement kiln was burning used oil, which made the dust/sludge combination
too contaminated for farm fields. LaFarge also planning to burn used tires
in the kiln, with the wastes spread on farm land.
In February 2007, Schuyler, County, NY, residents described the odors from
the N-Viro product:
"Noxious, it smells like death, it's the only thing that people
describe it as," said Glenn Marsh, an Odessa resident."
Also, In February 2007, in Florida: "Wimpy's plans to reopen the old N-Viro
plant on the city's northern boundary
were met with skepticism and outrage in the nearby Fort Meade community,
where residents had fought to have the N-Viro operations shut down.
The company closed its wastewater treatment operations in 2001 after
neighbors and the city filed complaints about odor problems with the state
Department of Environmental Protection."
In 2003 in New Jersey, an N-Viro licensee was fined for water pollution
violations:
"TRENTON - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) today announced that Organic Agriculture, Inc. (OAI) located in
Warren County was issued a $15,000 fine for illegally discharging
pollutants into a tributary of the Pequest River."
In December 2004, the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection shut down
N-Viro licensee Hydropress Environmental
in Warren County for soil and water violations:
" According to the chairman, the two contaminants, cadmium and nitrates,
were previously found by the Warren Country Health Department on the farm
site and in neighboring wells. He said both are industrial by-product
contaminants not found in a normal farm operation that are hazardous to
human health. Rosebrock said they are concerned about contamination of other
townships wells because all of the properties in the township have wells
except the village of Brainards.
This past fall the Warren County Environmental Commission contacted Cornell
University Waste Management Institute, a nationally recognized leader on the
topic of sludge as fertilizer about the issue. The institute agreed to
analyze the soil and groundwater data once the testing is conducted.
Rosebrock reported that Cornell recommended a long list of things to test
for, including fecal coli forms, antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium,
chromium, cyanide, mercury, nitrate, and esoteric viruses. They also
recommended topography, soil, geology and sludge quality tests.
The chairman said they will continue to pursue the DEP on the issue. "The
sludge operation took its toll on many residents," Rosebrock said. "When the
sludge operation came to Harmony, some residents simply put their homes up
for sale."
Farmers are risking their land and animals by "fertilizing" with toxic
sewage sludge mixed with contaminated industrial wastes/combustion
byproducts.
Helane Shields, PO Box 1133, Alton, NH 03809 603-875-3842
Posted by: Mrs. Rooster on Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:50 pm
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