Biosolids to backers, sludge to detractors
Biosolids to backers, sludge to detractors
Tim Foran, Staff Writer
05/12/02 00:00:00
This is the fifth in a series of monthly features examining environmental issues in Durham Region. In this story we look at the issue of various biosolids being spread as soil conditioner, fertilizer on Durham area farms.
Specifically, Mr. Beatty fears "sludge," a term used by some to describe both treated or untreated human excrement as well as a by-product created from the production of recycled paper. In Durham, treated waste and recycled paper sludge are used extensively as soil conditioners and fertilizers on farmlands, to the chagrin of some environmentalists who say high metal levels, pathogens and bacteria in the sludge threaten to enter the air, groundwater and local watersheds.
Mr. Beatty believes some of his dairy cattle became ill after his neighbour, Brock Councillor Reg Starr, began to spread paper sludge on his farm a number of years ago. Mr. Beatty says he lost 10 cows in 2000. "In a bad year, you might lose one," he says.
Coun. Starr did not return calls for comment.
Mr. Beatty adds neighbours also reported physical problems when trucks arrived to spread the paper sludge, which producer Atlantic Packaging says contains short pulp or paper fibres, clay particles and water. "We have people in the neighbourhood that have asthma attacks," Mr. Beatty says. "It didn't happen before the paper sludge was used. People go to hospital, it's pretty serious."
However, Atlantic spokesman Tony Bernaki says, "We have never seen or done or heard or documented proof that this happens. We have investigated all the times people have asked us to and we've never been able to find anything that's concrete."
Mr. Bernaki says Atlantic employees working with or near paper sludge have experienced no ill effects.
Atlantic Packaging produces 150,000 tonnes a year for land application of what it prefers to call paper fibre biosolids at its Whitby and Scarborough plants. Mr. Bernaki says the company believes the by-product provides an agricultural benefit to farmers.
The company submitted a soil benefits study last year to the Ministry of Environment and asked that its certificate of approval to apply the paper biosolids on land be extended indefinitely. Mr. Bernaki says Atlantic is hopeful the MOE is finally prepared to issue that certificate of approval, but he figures it will only be for a five-year term.
Last fall, Durham Region opposed Atlantic's request for approval after a consultant the Region hired to review Atlantic's study stated, "The results and conclusions reported by the authors with respect to soil benefits and soil management recommendations are often not supported by the data in the report."
In 1998, Ontario's Environmental Commissioner noted the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) continued to allow Atlantic to spread the biosolids, "without any demonstration of benefits to the soil.
"MOE's Biosolids Guidelines do state clearly that, 'materials must be of benefit to crop production or soil health...before approval for use will be given by MOE,'" the commissioner added.
In its 2001 soil benefits study, Atlantic listed 129 properties totalling almost 12,000 acres in Durham that are licensed by the MOE to receive paper biosolids. But only 20 sites and 20 per cent of the approved land were used in 2000.
"The market dried up," suggests Maureen Reilly, an environmental consultant with the Sierra Club of Canada. "Farmers aren't willing to take it. Corn crops, anything that required nitrogen, suffered from paper sludge."
Mr. Bernaki says farmers are indeed interested in paper biosolids, and they continue to call Atlantic and its contracted hauler, Courtice Auto Wreckers, to get on board the program.
Courtice Auto Wreckers also keeps an eye out for farmers willing to take sewage sludge/biosolids, which the company hauls and spreads for Durham Region.
Sewage biosolids are essentially treated human and industrial wastes and have been used as fertilizer on Durham farms for almost two decades. As landfill capacity drops and incineration becomes an unpalatable option to many urban-dwellers concerned about air pollution, the spreading of these biosolids is growing.
Currently, 60 per cent of Durham's treated sewage is spread onto farms, with the remaining 40 per cent incinerated. The Region would gladly increase its land application if it could find more participating farmers, says Elaine Collis, the biosolids management co-ordinator for Durham's works department. There are 166 licensed sites totalling 12,500 acres in Durham, she says.
"It's a valuable resource as a soil amendment material," Ms. Collis says of the sewage biosolids, which are treated first by bacterial decomposition then through anaerobic (without exposure to oxygen) digestion. "It enhances the soil quality."
It's also cheap - free in fact. Durham gives the stuff away to farmers, and Courtice Auto Wreckers applies the biosolid for them. It estimates using the biosolids saves farmers almost $90 an acre in fertilizer costs.
It also saves money for Durham taxpayers, as incineration is about 15 per cent more expensive in incremental operations costs than land application. It is far more expensive when the cost of building an incinerator is taken into account.
Gabriela Surerus, who runs a beef cattle operation on more than 1,000 acres near Roseneath in Northumberland County, says she and her husband first started using sewage biosolids, provided by the City of Toronto, last fall.
The couple spread the biosolids on approximately 100 acres of land they use to grow cattle feed, including corn and grain. Wheat grown in that area is just starting to shoot up, she says.
"It looks good," she says. "It has good colour. It looks good so far."
The biosolids save the couple about $40 an acre in fertilizer costs, but she says that amount would likely be higher for a cash-crop farmer.
Ms. Surerus says she approached Toronto's biosolids contractor because she believes land spreading is the best available option to make use of our waste.
"In my opinion, it's better than dumping it in the lake, it's better than incinerating it," she says.
The concern of environmentalists is the continued presence of various metals, pathogens and bacteria in the sewage biosolid, even after it's treated.
"They keep talking about how the sludge is treated as though that means it's not pathogenic, it's not going to make people sick with diseases or parasites, but in fact it's concentrated," says Ms. Reilly. "If it was really just human manure, I would be in favour of that. But once you mix industrial waste together with human waste, you have a material that is essentially highly contaminated manure."
Ms. Collis responds that the pathogens and bacteria do not live long after being spread, as it is a "hostile environment." She adds Durham's waste consistently meets the Province's guidelines for 11 different metals. Courtice Auto Wreckers also takes care not to apply the sewage in rainy weather, on frozen ground or within setbacks from watercourses, wells or houses, she says.
Despite Durham's assurances, Ontario's environmental commissioner cited a number of problems with the spreading of sewage in his 2000/2001 report.
The commissioner noted farmers often apply the sewage to their fields in either spring or fall, "often the wettest seasons, when rains may wash freshly applied sludge into waterways."
The resultant phosphorus and nitrogen loading could cause algal blooms, oxygen depletion and fish kills, he warned in his report. "Pathogens are also a concern, since they may migrate into groundwater or surface water and contaminate drinking water supplies," he continued. The commissioner concluded existing policies and regulations for the land spreading of sewage sludge were inadequate to protect the environment. It appears the Province is listening. In late April, the MOE sent out a press release indicating it would accelerate a review of current quality standards and testing requirements for sewage biosolids and pulp and paper sludge.
The Province's Bill 81, the Nutrient Management Act introduced last June, would also force landowners receiving biosolids to create strategies as to how they plan to use the materials as an environmentally sound part of their farming practices.
Ms. Surerus admits biosolids application remains a divisive issue.
"People either agree or disagree," she notes. "And there's no amount of information that will change their minds. I guess we feel it's safe."
Ms. Reilly believes people should question whether sludge or biosolids are being recycled or merely dumped.
Tim Foran, Staff Writer
05/12/02 00:00:00
This is the fifth in a series of monthly features examining environmental issues in Durham Region. In this story we look at the issue of various biosolids being spread as soil conditioner, fertilizer on Durham area farms.
Specifically, Mr. Beatty fears "sludge," a term used by some to describe both treated or untreated human excrement as well as a by-product created from the production of recycled paper. In Durham, treated waste and recycled paper sludge are used extensively as soil conditioners and fertilizers on farmlands, to the chagrin of some environmentalists who say high metal levels, pathogens and bacteria in the sludge threaten to enter the air, groundwater and local watersheds.
Mr. Beatty believes some of his dairy cattle became ill after his neighbour, Brock Councillor Reg Starr, began to spread paper sludge on his farm a number of years ago. Mr. Beatty says he lost 10 cows in 2000. "In a bad year, you might lose one," he says.
Coun. Starr did not return calls for comment.
Mr. Beatty adds neighbours also reported physical problems when trucks arrived to spread the paper sludge, which producer Atlantic Packaging says contains short pulp or paper fibres, clay particles and water. "We have people in the neighbourhood that have asthma attacks," Mr. Beatty says. "It didn't happen before the paper sludge was used. People go to hospital, it's pretty serious."
However, Atlantic spokesman Tony Bernaki says, "We have never seen or done or heard or documented proof that this happens. We have investigated all the times people have asked us to and we've never been able to find anything that's concrete."
Mr. Bernaki says Atlantic employees working with or near paper sludge have experienced no ill effects.
Atlantic Packaging produces 150,000 tonnes a year for land application of what it prefers to call paper fibre biosolids at its Whitby and Scarborough plants. Mr. Bernaki says the company believes the by-product provides an agricultural benefit to farmers.
The company submitted a soil benefits study last year to the Ministry of Environment and asked that its certificate of approval to apply the paper biosolids on land be extended indefinitely. Mr. Bernaki says Atlantic is hopeful the MOE is finally prepared to issue that certificate of approval, but he figures it will only be for a five-year term.
Last fall, Durham Region opposed Atlantic's request for approval after a consultant the Region hired to review Atlantic's study stated, "The results and conclusions reported by the authors with respect to soil benefits and soil management recommendations are often not supported by the data in the report."
In 1998, Ontario's Environmental Commissioner noted the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) continued to allow Atlantic to spread the biosolids, "without any demonstration of benefits to the soil.
"MOE's Biosolids Guidelines do state clearly that, 'materials must be of benefit to crop production or soil health...before approval for use will be given by MOE,'" the commissioner added.
In its 2001 soil benefits study, Atlantic listed 129 properties totalling almost 12,000 acres in Durham that are licensed by the MOE to receive paper biosolids. But only 20 sites and 20 per cent of the approved land were used in 2000.
"The market dried up," suggests Maureen Reilly, an environmental consultant with the Sierra Club of Canada. "Farmers aren't willing to take it. Corn crops, anything that required nitrogen, suffered from paper sludge."
Mr. Bernaki says farmers are indeed interested in paper biosolids, and they continue to call Atlantic and its contracted hauler, Courtice Auto Wreckers, to get on board the program.
Courtice Auto Wreckers also keeps an eye out for farmers willing to take sewage sludge/biosolids, which the company hauls and spreads for Durham Region.
Sewage biosolids are essentially treated human and industrial wastes and have been used as fertilizer on Durham farms for almost two decades. As landfill capacity drops and incineration becomes an unpalatable option to many urban-dwellers concerned about air pollution, the spreading of these biosolids is growing.
Currently, 60 per cent of Durham's treated sewage is spread onto farms, with the remaining 40 per cent incinerated. The Region would gladly increase its land application if it could find more participating farmers, says Elaine Collis, the biosolids management co-ordinator for Durham's works department. There are 166 licensed sites totalling 12,500 acres in Durham, she says.
"It's a valuable resource as a soil amendment material," Ms. Collis says of the sewage biosolids, which are treated first by bacterial decomposition then through anaerobic (without exposure to oxygen) digestion. "It enhances the soil quality."
It's also cheap - free in fact. Durham gives the stuff away to farmers, and Courtice Auto Wreckers applies the biosolid for them. It estimates using the biosolids saves farmers almost $90 an acre in fertilizer costs.
It also saves money for Durham taxpayers, as incineration is about 15 per cent more expensive in incremental operations costs than land application. It is far more expensive when the cost of building an incinerator is taken into account.
Gabriela Surerus, who runs a beef cattle operation on more than 1,000 acres near Roseneath in Northumberland County, says she and her husband first started using sewage biosolids, provided by the City of Toronto, last fall.
The couple spread the biosolids on approximately 100 acres of land they use to grow cattle feed, including corn and grain. Wheat grown in that area is just starting to shoot up, she says.
"It looks good," she says. "It has good colour. It looks good so far."
The biosolids save the couple about $40 an acre in fertilizer costs, but she says that amount would likely be higher for a cash-crop farmer.
Ms. Surerus says she approached Toronto's biosolids contractor because she believes land spreading is the best available option to make use of our waste.
"In my opinion, it's better than dumping it in the lake, it's better than incinerating it," she says.
The concern of environmentalists is the continued presence of various metals, pathogens and bacteria in the sewage biosolid, even after it's treated.
"They keep talking about how the sludge is treated as though that means it's not pathogenic, it's not going to make people sick with diseases or parasites, but in fact it's concentrated," says Ms. Reilly. "If it was really just human manure, I would be in favour of that. But once you mix industrial waste together with human waste, you have a material that is essentially highly contaminated manure."
Ms. Collis responds that the pathogens and bacteria do not live long after being spread, as it is a "hostile environment." She adds Durham's waste consistently meets the Province's guidelines for 11 different metals. Courtice Auto Wreckers also takes care not to apply the sewage in rainy weather, on frozen ground or within setbacks from watercourses, wells or houses, she says.
Despite Durham's assurances, Ontario's environmental commissioner cited a number of problems with the spreading of sewage in his 2000/2001 report.
The commissioner noted farmers often apply the sewage to their fields in either spring or fall, "often the wettest seasons, when rains may wash freshly applied sludge into waterways."
The resultant phosphorus and nitrogen loading could cause algal blooms, oxygen depletion and fish kills, he warned in his report. "Pathogens are also a concern, since they may migrate into groundwater or surface water and contaminate drinking water supplies," he continued. The commissioner concluded existing policies and regulations for the land spreading of sewage sludge were inadequate to protect the environment. It appears the Province is listening. In late April, the MOE sent out a press release indicating it would accelerate a review of current quality standards and testing requirements for sewage biosolids and pulp and paper sludge.
The Province's Bill 81, the Nutrient Management Act introduced last June, would also force landowners receiving biosolids to create strategies as to how they plan to use the materials as an environmentally sound part of their farming practices.
Ms. Surerus admits biosolids application remains a divisive issue.
"People either agree or disagree," she notes. "And there's no amount of information that will change their minds. I guess we feel it's safe."
Ms. Reilly believes people should question whether sludge or biosolids are being recycled or merely dumped.
posted by Sludge at 6:19 AM
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