Sludge Watch ==> Arizona - sludge spread too close to waterways

[Maureen Reilly]

Upper Verde group considers water quality goal
The Daily Courier

Monday, February 25, 2008

PRESCOTT - The Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition will talk 
Wednesday about whether to add water quality protection to its mission.

The coalition's regular monthly meeting starts at 2 p.m. Wednesday at 
Prescott City Hall, 201 S. Cortez St. The coalition now has its own website 
at www.uvrwpc.org.

The coalition also will hear a presentation Wednesday about Habitat 
Conservation Plans from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which allows 
people to "incidentally take" endangered species if they commit to an 
agreeable HCP.






The water quality issue stems from a brief coalition presentation this past 
month from Tom Slaback of the Sierra Club. He expressed concerns that a 
private company is dumping sludge too close to local waterways. The sludge 
is a byproduct of Prescott and Prescott Valley wastewater treatment 
facilities.

The coalition's technical advisers reviewed Slaback's sludge report at their 
Feb. 13 meeting and concluded the issue is beyond the scope of the 
coalition's mission.

However, the technical advisory group agreed to bring up the topic of adding 
water quality to the coalition's mission.





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