News

From Welland, Canada Tribune, 1-21-10.
Former Thorold, Canada Compost Site Owner Faces Clean Up Order.
The owner of a former Thorold composting site charged with environmental infractions has until spring to clean up the property. It hasn't been feasible for Gerald Nieuwesteeg to remove the sludge at 2155 Turner Rd. during the winter months, a representative of the Ministry of Environment told a St. Catharines court Tuesday. Nieuwesteeg, the owner of Compost Niagara, appeared in court for sentencing on five environmental charges but the case was put over to May 21 to give him more time to comply with cleanup orders.
Melina Laverty, an articling student with the ministry, told the court a high content of nickel and copper was found after five samples of sludge were taken from the bottom of a sewage lagoon in November. She said the ministry advised Nieuwesteeg that the sludge has to be removed. The delay will give him additional time to mitigate before sentencing, she said. But Nieuwesteeg said after court Tuesday that his property is safe and the amount of copper in his lagoon is lower than naturally occurring copper in his farm soil."There's absolutely no contamination," he said. "They just want to drive me out of business, which they did." He said he doubted the sludge would be removed by May because it will be too soon for the ground to thaw. The property and its leachate pond sludge has been an ongoing concern to neighbours for years.
Nieuwesteeg was charged in 2007 and pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2009, in a Welland court to three counts under the Environmental Protection Act and two under the Ontario Water Resources Act. He was fined $42,000. He pleaded guilty to failing to decommission the leachate pond, associated piping and equipment between June 2007 and September 2007. He also failed to remove and transport the sludge from the leachate pond between May 2007 and Dec. 11, 2007. He failed to ensure a sign, readable from the nearest road, was posted at the entrance to the site, stating the company's name, hours of operation and emergency phone number. He also failed to remove any ponding from the spray irrigation area by pumping it back to the leachate holding lagoon.
Compost Niagara was charged with the same counts and fined a total $42,000. Composting Niagara was ordered decommissioned by the province's Environmental Review Tribunal in 2006. Last year, Thorold city council reaffirmed its commitment to remove the provision that allows a compost facility to exist on the site.

Sewage may be turned into power source

From Canada.com - Don Mills, Ontario, 7-10-09. A B.C. company is turning feces into fuel. Vancouver-area officials shipped eight truckloads of sewage to Kamloops for the pilot project, hoping to create a new source of revenue from one of the city's natural resources. Tests showed the fecal sludge can be used to make fuel, generate power and potentially create a new source of revenue, using a technology known as biomass gasification. The process, developed by Nexterra Energy Corp., involves burning treated fecal matter in an oxygen-deprived environment to create a synthetic gas. The gas can be used to power dryers that dry sewage at waste-water plants.

The dried sewage is then chopped into pellets, which can be burned to power the waste-water plants, sold to other users or turned into electricity to be sold to power producers, or used in other Vancouver operations. "This was one of our first steps to take a look at how we can actually recover the inherent energy in biosolids so that it can be used as a fossil-fuel replacement," said Paul Kadota, a regional program manager.

New documents on fertilizing residuals available in English

New documents on fertilizing residuals are now available on-line in English versions:

Guidelines for the beneficial use of fertilizing residuals - Reference criteria and regulatory standards - 2008 edition - including addendas 1, 2 and 3
http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/mat_res-en/fertilisantes/critere/guide-mrf.pdf
Fall spreading of fertilizing residuals - environmental risks and preventive measures http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/articles/epandage-en.pdf
Dioxins, furans, PCBs and PAHs in eastern Canada compost (July 2003) http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/articles/compost-en.pdf
Independent quality control of fertilizing residuals by Environment Québec: Summary of parts I & II http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/articles/controle-en.pdf

Communities Opposed to New Sludge Rules

From Canadian Press, Ottawa, Can. 5-4-09. Some communities and environmental groups are crying foul over Ontario's plan to allow sewage sludge to be spread on farmers' fields without a waste-disposal permit. Maureen Reilly of the group SludgeWatch says new regulations would treat sludge as a beneficial nutrient when it's applied to crops - but as a potentially hazardous waste when used for other things such as biofuel. "You put this waste in a truck and send it to a field and suddenly it's not a waste," she said. "How does that make any sense?"

About 120,000 tonnes of sludge are used as fertilizer on the province's farms every year. Under proposed regulations expected to become law by the end of the year, companies that transport and spread the sludge would no longer be required to obtain certification under the province's Environmental Protection Act. The certificates identify who is authorized to spread sludge and where, and are available for the public to view. Eileen Smith, a waste-management policy manager for Ontario's Environment Ministry, said the new regulations will mean higher standards for the levels of nutrients sludge must have before it can be used as a fertilizer. Currently, certificates are granted on a case-by-case basis under a set of non-binding guidelines. Under the proposed regulations, the licensing standards for farmers and sludge-spreading companies will be covered by the same set of legally binding rules, Smith said. "It will be clearer that everything has to meet those standards. "A second draft of the regulations, still to be posted on the ministry's website, will incorporate feedback received from interested parties, Smith said.

But a number of municipal councils have passed resolutions saying without waste-disposal certificates, there will be no way to find out who plans to spread sludge, where they plan to spread it, and how much. They're also concerned that penalties for violations will be weaker than those under the Environmental Protection Act. Brian Treble, director of planning for the Township of West Lincoln, said he was told the province would take his concerns into consideration. But he says the province did not give details about what, if anything, they would change. "We've had no detailed reply in any way that talked about what they were going to do, or how they were going to address our concerns, or anything," he said.

SludgeWatch, a member of the Ontario Environment Network, also sent detailed feedback about the proposed regulations to the province. Reilly, who wrote the brief, said the regulations would result in harm to human health and the environment if passed. "We will see more spills of sludge, more over-application, more groundwater and surface contamination," she said. "And we won't know what caused it since the enforcement and report mechanisms will be weakened.

"Terratec Environmental Ltd., the biggest sewage sludge transporter and spreader in Ontario, has been convicted of environmental offences more than 40 times. All but one of the convictions were under the Environmental Protection Act, legislation that would no longer regulate sludge under the new rules. Terratec did not respond to requests for comment.

An expert panel convened by the province in 2005 recommended that companies transporting and spreading sludge continue to require waste-disposal certificates. Municipalities and private companies in Ontario have been recycling sewage, wood, paper and other organic wastes for farmers to use as fertilizer for over 30 years. The Ontario government, some municipalities and companies in the business say the practice has many benefits. Towns and cities don't have to figure out what to do with the waste; it stays out of landfills and waterways; and farmers get a free source of fertilizer. But environmental and public-health critics say not enough is known about the risks. Industrial and medical waste, motor oil, and drugs are just a few things that end up in sewer systems. Sludge generally has a significantly higher heavy metal content than conventional fertilizer, and pathogens such as E. coli and Listeria regularly turn up in samples. Some major companies like Del Monte and Campbell will not use food grown in fields spread with sludge. No one is sure what effect these toxins have on human health. Many studies have examined toxin levels in sludge, but no one has systematically investigated complaints from people who say it has made them sick. The Canadian Infectious Disease Institute and the National Farmers Union have called for a stop to the use of sludge as fertilizer until more is known about its health effects.

Moncton Compost Certified by BNQ

From Nebramail, 4-24-09. (with information from the Québec Environment Ministry (MDDEP)
The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission – a member of NEBRA – is receiving certification by the Bureau de normalization du Québec (BNQ) for the quality of its compost. This Type A compost is called “Gardener’s Gold.” It becomes the first compost certified by BNQ in New Brunswick and conforms to the voluntary Canadian compost standards of 2005. Congratulations to the Moncton team! Hopefully other Canadian municipalities will choose to seek independent certification through the BNQ.

GMSC compost is produced from primary solids composted with fine wood waste in aerated windrows covered by Gore fabric. A unique aspect of the operation is the recovery of heat from beneath the compost piles.

ROPEC Concerns Lounch Study of Hospital Waste Disposal

From Orleans Star, Ottawa, Ontario, Can. 2-24-09. In the wake of radioactive sludge from Gloucester's Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre being rejected at the American border last month, the city is looking to launch an initiative examining hospital waste disposal methods. The three-year study to be completed in partnership with several universities, as well as the municipalities of Hamilton and Guelph, at a price of $425,000 "is just awaiting the green flag from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council," Dixon Weir, the city's director of water and wastewater services, told a planning and environment committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The biosolids what remains after water is separated from sewage from ROPEC were being transported to New York for disposal in January when they tested positive for low levels of radiation, which has since been attributed to the presence of a common medical isotope. East-end councillors have led the call for further investigation into the matter, including looking at ROPEC's detection measures, city policies dealing with the treatment of sludge and biosolids and the need for a watchdog body to prevent such incidents. Weir, stressing that materials from ROPEC has been successfully transported across the border in the weeks since, pointed to a consultant's investigation concluding there was no accidental release of radioactive materials, and that tested biosolids from ROPEC did not exceed "normal or expected levels of radioactivity."

A Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) investigation also indicated that the biosolids in question measured radioactivity "at trace levels only," he continued, posing no danger to health, safety or the environment. And while the CNSC is "confident" of proper procedures being followed by local hospitals, the commission has also made the point to emphasis protocol with citywide licensed operations, Weir added. In the meantime, biosolids samples will undergo weekly testing for the next two months, he explained, then shifting to a risk assessment analysis to determine the next step.

Liberty Energy Vows Sludge Incinerator in Hamilton, Ontario will be World Showcase

From Stoney Creek News, Ontario, Can. 8-29-08. Liberty Energy Vows Sludge Incinerator in Hamilton, Ontario will be World Showcase. California-based Liberty Energy Inc. has moved a big step closer to building a giant
sewage-sludge incinerator in Hamilton with the posting of the plant's proposed licences on the province's environmental registry. The public has until Sept. 20 to comment on draft licences governing air, sewage and waste emissions, but cannot appeal any conditions because the project has already received the necessary environmental approvals. Liberty spokesperson Trevor Pettit said his company hopes to begin construction next spring on the first phase of the $120-million plant and show naysayers that sludge incineration is "the wave of the future.

" The Strathearne Avenue North incinerator will generate enough electricity to power 8,000 homes by burning up to 400,000 tonnes per year -- nearly eight times the amount generated by the city, which presently hires a contractor to spread its sludge on area farmland. "Without question we want this to be a showcase for energy-from-waste for the world," Mr. Pettit said. "I don't think you expect everybody to embrace it, but I think we can illustrate the success stories throughout the world and we intend to surpass those success stories," he said. "This is proven technology and we've gone the extra lengths to accommodate virtually every study they wanted, anything that anyone has wanted in terms of tests that we'll do."

Lynda Lukasik, executive director for Environment Hamilton, said her group remains opposed to the incinerator, but welcomes Liberty Energy's willingness to listen to concerns about monitoring. Although not reflected in the current draft licence on air emissions, she said company officials have verbally agreed to her request that they continue to test for emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons beyond the first year -- a commitment she wants reflected in the final version. Ms. Lukasik said although allowing the public to comment on the licences is better than not doing so, she would have preferred having the right of appeal under the Environmental Bill of Rights.

"We still haven't been convinced that this is the best way to deal with sewage sludge," she said, arguing the province needs to come up with a long-term strategy that includes clamping down on sewer toxins, a key concern for its use as fertilizer. "Having said that, the reality is that this facility has been approved. We're certainly going to take steps to ensure that there is rigorous monitoring and there are strong requirements in those (licences) to ensure there aren't any negative impacts."The licences are available for viewing on-line at www.ebr.gov.on.ca <http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/>.The registration number is 010-4084.

HEATING HOMES, RUNNING CARS- Sludge disposal has taken on innovative forms in other countries

In parts of Sweden, energy is recovered from toilet waste by transforming the sludge into biogas to run cars and buses. Some cities use methane recovered from sewage treatment to heat apartment buildings. More than 11,000 wastewater treatment plants in Germany use sludge to generate biogas to produce electricity and heat. One plant in a city of 200,000 to 250,000 people can produce 2,000 kilowatts of electricity and 2,500 kWs of heat per day. The government has calculated that biogas can replace 5.5 per cent of the country's natural gas consumption.

In Poland, the preferred solution for getting rid of sludge has been to compost or burn it. But a government-funded project at a major wastewater treatment plant has developed a technology to decrease its biosolids
production while increasing biogas output.

If we don't spread it, then what? The flow of sewage and the need to do something with it is a daily dilemma. "You can't stop it," says Abdul Khan, Hamilton's director of water and wastewater treatment. As sludge loads increase and controversy grows over the safety of spreading it on farmland, the search is on for other disposal options. Hamilton is following the lead of Peel and York regions by moving toward burning processed human and
industrial waste, after deciding land application isn't sustainable.

The city's Biosolids Master Plan, which predicts that population growth will see sludge production increase by 80 per cent over 30 years, cited a lack of available land, fewer farmers willing to take sludge due to odour and
contaminant concerns, and more complex rules. York sends sludge to Durham Region for incineration. Peel burns its sludge in two incinerators and is poised to build two more, making its Lakeview plant the largest sludge
incineration facility in North America. Sludge burned to ash is sometimes used in construction materials or sent to landfills. Peel's biosolids management review six years ago looked at pelletization, land application
and composting, says Mark Schiller, water division director. Incineration, the review deemed, "was still the best way to go" in terms of environmental and cost concerns.

Toronto currently turns only a small amount of its sludge into fertilizer pellets but has plans to increase that to about half. In Hamilton, Jim Harnum, senior director of water and wastewater, has expressed concern about
toxic metals, pathogens and pharmaceutical residue in municipal sludge as a threat to land application. Hamilton sends 1,250 truckloads of sludge a year to farm fields. The city is conducting an environmental assessment of its
proposal to build an incinerator like Peel's. Other options on the table include California-based Liberty Energy's aim to generate electricity by burning sewage sludge and woody waste.

Biomass gasification involves heating organic material at low temperatures to release gases, called syngas or biogas, which can be burned to drive turbines and generators that make electricity. Environmentalists favor using sludge as fuel. In Ottawa, where city council last month approved a plan by PlascoEnergy Group to use ultra-high-temperature plasma torch technology to dispose of garbage in a waste-to-energy system, anti-sludge residents hope the process can be applied to biosolids. "Is it not possible to combine the sewage with the city garbage and still get sufficient syngas to generate some electricity?" Jim Poushinsky, chair of Ottawa Citizens Against Pollution by Sewage, asks in a letter to PlascoEnergy.

The company's plant, which is awaiting provincial approvals, will be the first of its kind in the world. The firm has told Poushinsky that, while the process could be modified to include sludge, for now they are concentrating
on solid waste. Meanwhile another plasma torch company, Fabgroups Technologies Inc., is working in Quebec on a system to process wet biosolids by heating them to the point where they oxidize.

Farther afield, a British scientist is developing a process that would use"gut bugs" bacteria from the human lower intestine to turn raw sewage into energy. In an online newsletter, Prof. David Stuckey describes a bioreactor he'll build alongside a sewage treatment plant to break down effluent, create energy and reduce sludge by 90 per cent. His technology uses membranes to filter wastewater for potential reuse as well as bacteria that don't require oxygen to break down waste. Stuckey recently got a $500,000 grant from an independent U.K. academy to develop his system. "Imagine a day when mini bioreactors, located under apartment buildings, are able to convert raw sewerage from flats into valuable methane gas for use in
household heating, and treated water recycled back to flush toilets," Stuckey says.

There is Money Down the Drain in North Shore, Canada.

We could get more value from our waste. On the rare occasions that North Shore residents spare a thought for what they flush down the toilet, it is unlikely many imagine its ultimate destination as an old mine in the province's interior. But under our current treatment system, that is precisely where a large component -- the solid component -- of our sewage winds up. Solids are filtered out of North Shore wastewater at the Lions Gate treatment plant, loaded into trucks and driven hundreds of kilometres to abandoned mines near Logan Lake and Princeton where they are spread around in reclamation projects. The process, while beneficial, squanders a tremendous opportunity, according to some experts. That sewer sludge, together with solid waste (garbage, to most of us), could be dealt with in a much more efficient way that in fact generates energy -- and money -- according to a recent report from the provincial government.

As the region draws up plans for the Lions Gate plant's $400-million replacement, advocates are hoping the idea will be central to the new system. Otherwise, our community will have flushed a golden opportunity down
the toilet.By modern standards, the North Shore's current system is remarkably simple. Sewage is piped from the community's 70,000 homes to the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant next to the mouth of the Capilano
River. There, solids are filtered and settled out for shipment, and the liquid component is ejected more or less untreated into Burrard Inlet. As much as 90 million litres a day flows out of an underwater pipe just west of
the Lions Gate Bridge.

Our garbage follows a similarly straightforward path. Refuse is picked up at curbside and crushed. Some of the region's refuse winds up incinerated in the waste-to-energy station in Burnaby, but the bulk is loaded on to large transport trucks and hauled to a landfill. With a few minor variations, this is more or less the way communities across the province deal with their waste. Some are a little more sophisticated -- using secondary treatment plants to digest their sludge before it is ejected, for example -- and some less so (such as Victoria, which does little more than screen their sewage before pouring it into the ocean) but overall they treat their waste in the same way: as waste. "Right now, all our sewage systems are designed to treat sewage and dispose of whatever's left," said Christianne Wilhelmson, a program coordinator with the Georgia Strait Alliance.

"That's basically the principle behind it. You treat it and you get rid of it." But a group of experts hired by the provincial government wants that philosophy to change. In a report called Resources from Waste, delivered to
the Ministry of Community Services in February, the authors suggested that our garbage and sewage could be combined into a single, integrated resource management (IRM) system, which could reduce our release of waste into the environment almost to zero. To explore the idea, the authors used the Capital Regional District (Victoria and its surroundings) as a case study.

To view the full article and learn how the plan will work, Click here
http://www.biosolids.org/docs/Money%20Down%20the%20Drain_071308.pdf

BNQ : Public enquiry - Organic Soil Conditioners - Granulated Municipal Biosolids

The national standard 0413-400 CAN/BNQ Organic Soil Conditioners - Granulated Municipal Biosolids is currently being revised. The public is invited to comment on the standard before the June 6, 2008 deadline. Please
visit the BNQ web-site for more information.

Fuming Over Ontario, Canada Sludge Plant Approval

Ontario Spectator, Hamilton, 2-23-08. - Fuming over sludge plant approval East Hamilton to be home of $120m incinerator. Ontario has given Liberty Energy the go-ahead to build a $120-million, power-producing sewage sludge incinerator in east Hamilton. It will be the first such plant in Canada and the second in North America. Critics fear Toronto sludge will be trucked in to fuel the Strathearne Avenue plant that will burn a combination of sludge and wood waste, generating 10 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply 8,000 homes. They also fear the plant will release toxic chemicals in the lower city, where there are already many air pollution sources. "There's no question that the big obstacle is over, but we still face a number of technical hurdles to meet the rigorous requirements for certificates of approval for air, noise and waste," said company CEO Wilson Nolan, who promises emission controls exceeding Ontario standards. News of the approval came late yesterday from Hamilton Centre MPP Andrea Horwath, who revealed the Ontario Ministry of the Environment had rejected
calls by the City of Hamilton and Environment Hamilton for a full environmental assessment. Instead, it accepted a screening study that concluded noise, air emissions and other environmental impacts could be kept to acceptable levels. Horwath said she was "shocked and disappointed" the plant was approved "without the benefit of a rigorous, individual assessment when this technology is not really proven yet, making Hamiltonians into lab rats."

Ward 4 Councillor Sam Merulla, whose motion to ask for a full assessment was unanimously endorsed by council, called the ministry decision "a betrayal of the city." "From our perspective," he said, "the site is not conducive to
public health and our concerns about particulate emissions. We have an overconcentration of pollution sources in the lower city. "Another site, preferably above the escarpment, would have been more feasible." The ministry later confirmed the requests for a full assessment had been denied, but said the company would still need to obtain certificates of approval to operate. It also said Liberty is committed to installing continuous, in-stock emission monitors, to joining the Hamilton Air Monitoring Network and to setting up a community liaison committee. The City of Hamilton spreads 53,000 tonnes or 1,250 truckloads of sludge a year on farm fields, and has a plan for a smaller incinerator at the Woodward Avenue sewage treatment plant. That is also opposed by Merulla. The Liberty Energy Centre, to be built in two phases, is designed to handle up to 400,000 tonnes of sludge and 150,000 tonnes of other organic waste such as tree trimmings, greenhouse waste, grass and garden clippings. The company says its bubbling, fluidized-bed incinerator will instantly gasify or vaporize the fuel, then burn the gas to produce electricity. It promises to be much cleaner than old incinerators, such as Hamilton's infamous SWARU trash burner, and will produce no bottom ash. It says fly ash will be filtered out and the exhaust scrubbed to meet tough European standards.Environment Hamilton has said emissions estimates "suggest that the potential exists" for the plant to double Hamilton's levels of cancer-causing dioxin and significantly increase other airborne toxics.

Liberty says, however, its process is so efficient it would take 38 years to produce one gram of dioxin. Because it will burn organic waste, not fossil fuels, its renewable energy output will be considered carbon neutral, releasing the same amount of carbon dioxide as was removed from the atmosphere when the fuels were created. Liberty first applied in 2005 for approval as an electricity generator and completed a Schedule B class assessment process, including a 500-page human health impact study. Before the ministry acted on requests for a full assessment of that application, it changed its rules and required Liberty to reapply as a waste-management facility, a decision described by John Dolbec of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce as "fundamentally unfair, unfair and bizarre." Nolan hired ex-MPP Trevor Pettit to deal with the city and provincial governments, then retained several former senior ministry officials working for Hill & Knowlton consultants to help win approval of its second application. The Minnesota Metropolitan Council operates a sludge-burning power plant with technology similar to Liberty's, and California-based Liberty is seeking approval for three plants in its home state.

Ontario Farmers Won't Kill their Livelihood Spreading Biosolids Part of Good Farm Practice

Northumberland Today, Ontario, Can. , 1-31-08. The issue of spraying biosolids on farmlands has some people upset, but farmers say they are being good stewards of the land that furnishes their livelihoods. Norham farmer Bill Honey says he spreads biosolids on his lands as part of good farm practice. He has been farming his property just east of Warkworth for over 30 years and says he knows farming and what's good for the land and what isn't. "I use biosolids because I feel they're good for the land," said Mr. Honey. "If I cooperate with the (Ministry of the Environment) recommendations, it's a wonderful system and a good use of resources."

He says the environment ministry does soil tests before recommending the quantity of biosolids to be used. One recommendation he received was that 6,000 gallons per acre be spread. "It may sound like a lot, but it's equivalent to about one-quarter inch of rain," he said. "The MoE is pretty careful. They don't allow it to be spread on slopes or near watercourses. There are a lot of guidelines to follow." He says livestock farms are known to have the best soils in the agricultural industry, as 70 per cent of what is grown on the land and fed to the livestock goes back into the land. "People without livestock are scrabbling for nutrients," he says. "And there are a lot of nutrients in biosolids."

There is concern from a Warkworth citizens' group that biosolids are contaminating their wells and making them and their animals ill, creating an unbearable stench, as well as destroying the farmlands of Ontario to the point that earthworms are dying. Mr. Honey argues that he is a no-till farmer, and no-till farmers depend on earthworms to do the job of the tiller, and he finds the earthworms are alive and well and doing their jobs."I am a good steward of the land," said Mr. Honey. "If I do anything detrimental to the land, I am hurting my own livelihood." And as far as odour is concerned, Mr. Honey says pig manure is 10 times more malodorous than biosolids.

Asked if he was concerned with the possibility of pharmaceuticals or disease in the biosolids, he said he believes the environment ministry assurances that biosolids are safe if used according to guidelines. "I also believe in the dilution factor," he said. "The biosolids are 97 percent water." He says that when spread on the lands according to ministry guidelines and setbacks, the fertilizer is soaked up by the land right away, eliminating the possibility of run-off into streams and rivers, just like any fertilizer.

Myrna Simpson, assistant professor of environmental science, associate director of the Environmental NMR Centre, and Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto, says that over-applications of any manure will saturate the soil and create run-off, as the soil's ability to hold onto nutrients and chemicals is finite, but she agreed that if biosolids are applied properly, there should be very few, if any, issues with run-off.

Other farmers such as the McCanns in Codrington have used biosolids and Cathy McCann says they have had no problems with their applications and don't see any reason why they wouldn't use them again. She said soil tests are done on a regular basis and nothing irregular has shown up, nor has anyone reported illnesses or any other complaints. "Everything is very well managed," said Mrs. McCann.

Dexter Harder of Northumberland Grain says he doesn't use biosolids because he's in the fertilizer business and he doesn't want to create any problems for his livelihood. "They (MoE) say they guarantee what's in it, and it might be exactly what they're saying, but I'm not taking any chances," said Mr. Harder. "I don't want problems with the public." Mr. Harder says there are significant savings to farmers, as much as $100 to $250 an acre, by using the "free" biosolids on their croplands in addition to existing fertilizers. "Farmers are suffering so they're doing what they have to, to hang in there," suggested Mrs. McCann.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture doesn't see any problems with the use of biosolids on agricultural lands. "The MoE is doing testing and farmlands aren't getting overloads of nutrients," said Lyle Gallagher, president of Northumberland Federation of Agriculture (NFA). "Walkerton was run-off into the wells but the (environment ministry) takes surface water into account (in its guidelines)." He says the use of human waste as fertilizer is much the same as using manure from any other animal. "I do believe they are completing the cycle of life, unlike that of dumping them into landfills," said Mr. Gallagher. "We all eat food, and our excrement has nutrients."

He says biosolids are good fertilizer and save farmers the expense of buying commercial fertilizer. He expects fertilizer for an acre of corn this year to be between $100 and $120, and biosolids can replace approximately two-thirds of that, saving a farmer between $67 and $80 an acre. Mr. Gallagher says he doesn't use biosolids, and has never applied to the MoE to see if he qualifies, not because there is anything wrong with it, but because he's concerned about what his neighbors would think. He says that some farmers are dead set against the use of biosolids because they worry it may contain pharmaceuticals, disease and bacteria, but they all understand why others use them, so it hasn't been a big issue at the NFA level. "We have to believe that some of our regulatory agencies are doing their jobs," said Mr. Gallagher."In general, we're using the best information and technology we have today, but research hasn't ended," said Northumberland-Quinte West MPP Lou Rinaldi. "The knowledge we have today shows this is an acceptable method. I don't think any government would do anything to harm its people and environment."

Is it time to raise a stink about biosolids?

By Susan Maclean from Engineering Business Magazine

The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) cites the management of wastewater residual sludge – biosolids – as “ one of the world's most critical environmental issues due to population growth and the vast increase in urbanization and resultant sewage and industrial wastewater treatment.” However, progress in addressing this issue seems as slow as water going down a mostly clogged drain.

“Advanced sewage treatment and sustainable biosolids recycling is practiced by a handful of Canadian municipalities,” notes a background document of the CWWA. “However, in many cases sewage is still discharged to the marine environment with little regard for pollution and the continual depletion of nutrient resources to land, forests and agriculture. A key management issue is addressing and changing negative public perception about biosolids reprocessing, environmentally sound land application practices and other potential uses.”

Contrary to the inaccurate public perception of biosolids as toxic waste, potential uses include land application for agriculture and reforestation, mine tailing site reclamation, energy recovery and compost production. Some jurisdictions outside Canada use biosolids for cellulose-based ethanol production with claims that this is more energy-wise than using feedstocks as sources.

It was three years ago that Ronald J. LeBlanc, then chairman of the Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission, suggested that a national biosolids partnership be formed in Canada to promote harmonizing the approaches to biosolids management, uses and regulation across the country. While that idea has been gaining support ever since, it seems to remain a distant blip on the political radar.

As noted by the CWWA, after the first National Conference on Wastewater Management was held in Montréal in March 2005, key stakeholders met with the U.S. National Biosolids Partnership, which is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and hosted by the Water Environment Federation, and prepared a business case for the Canadian Biosolids Partnership. This was circulated to over 200 municipalities and all federal, provincial and territorial Ministers for the Environment and for Agriculture in late 2006. CWWA notes that “supportive responses were received from all levels of government, engineering and environmental consultants and environmental groups.”

E arlier this year, more than 30 municipalities and nine federal and provincial agencies were approached to seek a commitment to participate in taking some interim steps forward, namely: filling in gaps in the national data on biosolids production and uses, identifying standards, regulations, best practices and conducting a global scan to find out what other countries are doing, CWWA reveals. A meeting of 44 representatives of these Canadian stakeholders took place on June 28, 2007 in Moncton, NB, following the International Water Association's Biosolids Speciality Conference – Moving Forward Wastewater Biosolids Sustainability: Technical, Managerial and Public Synergy. A general review of the information and the proposed scope and structure of the Canadian partnership were discussed and action agreed on to continue and expand support for a Canadian Biosolids Partnership. That action included requesting the Policy and Planning Committee of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to promote nationally harmonized standards and best management practices by forming a biosolids liaison group under the Environmental Policy and Planning Committee to further the goals proposed for the Biosolids Partnership.

Duncan Ellison, executive director, CWWA, sent CCME such a request last July, but on Nov. 27, 2007, received what amounts to a rejection letter from Carl Hrenchuk, CCME executive director. After praising the interest and expertise of those supporting a Biosolids Partnership, Hrenchuk wrote: “Environment departments across the country currently approach biosolids from differing perspectives. In keeping with this reality, EPPC does not foresee contributing to the proposed Biosolids Partnership through a Liaison Group as you have suggested.”

So, to date, the Canadian Biosolids Partnership has a considerable cadre of supporters, a website sponsored by the CWWA and a proposed goal that it has in common with the CCME. CWWA's Ellison describes that goal as “that these residuals be and be seen to be valuable, environmentally beneficial products contributing to our sustainability goals.”

Meanwhile, as Ellison notes, “unfortunately, significant portions of wastewater sludges and biosolids are still sent to landfill and do not contribute to meeting our environmental, public health or sustainability goals.”

Federal Court Grants Final Judgment Against Kern County Ban of LA Biosolids

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess in Los Angeles on August 10 granted the request for final judgment by the City of Los Angeles and other Southern California agencies, businesses and farmers to overturn Kern County's ban of biosolids and maintain the land application of biosolids on farmland. This ruling follows the court's opinion in November 2006 that preliminarily enjoined the enforcement of Measure E, an ordinance passed by Kern County voters in June 2006, which would have halted all land application of biosolids in the county. "We have worked hard to operate our biosolids program to the highest environmental standards and will continue to ensure that the Green Acre farm is the best neighbor it can be," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "We are hopeful that this court decision will permit us to work together to address the best interests of the residents of Kern and Los Angeles counties and of the environment."

The fifty-five page order granted the request by the City and plaintiffs for the entry of final judgment against Kern County. Judge Feess ruled that Measure E "demonstrated irreparable harm" as the ordinance violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against biosolids from metropolitan Los Angeles and preempted the California Integrated Waste Management Act by conflicting with a statewide policy of recycling solid waste, which by statute includes biosolids. Judge Feess summarized that "government agencies cannot decide to stop producing biosolids and instead must find ways to manage those that are produced" and the court found "that land application constitutes a 'beneficial use' of biosolids, and indeed the EPA explains that it adopted the term 'biosolids' so as 'to emphasize the beneficial nature of this valuable, recyclable resource.'"

"The court's ruling clearly supports the public interest and affirms that the City operates a safe and model biosolids program at Green Acres Farm," said Cynthia M. Ruiz, president of the Board of Public Works of the City of Los Angeles. "An adverse ruling would have caused significant harm to the City and region that would have dramatically increased the costs of managing biosolids and increased pollution in our environment." "We applaud this ruling as we continue to demonstrate the safe management of our biosolids program," said Rita L. Robinson, director of the Bureau of Sanitation.

The City of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit challenging the new ordinance and was joined by the Los Angeles County and Orange County Sanitation Districts, the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, businesses and farmers that recycle biosolids at two farm sites in Kern County-Green Acres, a 5,000-acre farm southwest of Bakersfield owned by the City of Los Angeles and Tule Ranch, a privately owned farm. To view the 55-page court ruling, visit: http://static.bakersfield.com/smedia/2007/08/13/17/sludgeruling.source.prod_affiliate.25.pdf .

Source: City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Press Release, 8-13-07

Quebec to Limit Biosolids Spreading

The Quebec government has proposed amendments to its Agricultural Operations Regulation (R.R.Q., c. Q-2, r. 11.1) to ban compost containing all or any part of carcasses of mammals or fowl as well as municipal sludge or treatment wastewater sludge from being spread on land where crops are being grown for human consumption and on pasture land.

The proposed amendments will replace the blanket prohibition in Quebec on the spreading of fertilizing materials containing carcasses of ruminants, and the spreading in certain places of fertilizing materials containing other types of animal carcasses, by a less restrictive prohibition. The amendments would exempt compost derived from household food waste or other sources and sewer sludge from the wastewater treatment plants of slaughterhouses, rendering plants or other meat processing plants. The government says that the fertilizing materials subject to the prohibition may be spread on crops or pasture land if the materials are compliant with the certification standards that govern fertilizer safety. Comments on the proposed amendments, published in Gazette officielle du Québec, July 11, 2007, will be accepted until September 9, 2007.

Biosolids and Composts Working Group established under the Canadian Fertilizer Products Forum and Meeting of members of the CBP, June 28, 2007 in Moncton, NB

Following a number of preliminary consultations (in February 2005 and March 2006), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) proposed the formation of a consultative body for the fertilizer and supplement sectors, the Canadian Fertilizer Products Forum (CFPF).

The CFPF is a two-year project led by stakeholders and intended to improve the regulatory system and policies for fertilizers and supplements to encourage innovation, economic sustainability and international leadership. The membership of the CFPF is national in scope and includes representation from any group, organization or individual that has a stake in the fertilizer and supplement sector. CWWA is member of the CFPF and represented on the CFPF Board.

Under CFPF, permanent working groups have been established to discuss regulatory issues relevant to the industry. The issues addressed are those referred to the working group by the Board or raised by the working group itself. The Board coordinates the raising of issues from the individual working groups to the entire Forum.

The following Working Groups have been formed:
• Regulatory Efficiency Working Group
• Marketplace Monitoring Working Group
• Communications and Operating Environment Working Group
• New Products Working Group
• Biosolids and Compost Working Group

The purpose of the Biosolids and Compost Working Group is to review and discuss issues related to product quality, regulatory efficiency, efficacy requirements, labelling and monitoring requirements, and registration, all specifically related to biosolids based fertilizers and composts. The co-Chairs of the Biosolids and Compost Working Group are Donald Hoekstra from WEAO and Catherine Jefferson.

Members of the Canadian Biosolids Partnership are invited to a full day meeting to be held on June 28, 2007 in Moncton in conjunction with the IWA Conference on Biosolids. The Biosolids and Compost Working Group established under the CFPF will represent one of the items on the Agenda. All those interested in participating are invited to contact Roland Richard from Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission at: rrichard@gmsc.nb.ca with a CC to atoth@cwwa.ca.