Hi Maureen. You had mentioned to Ron Hart a couple weeks ago about
Melancthon Twp.(Shelburne area). I did a GoogleSearch on it and came up
with the following Kitchener-Waterloo Record story. Of particular
interest is the part where Winfield from CIELAP says "legislation
passed in 1998 gave farmers the right to pollute and removed the right
people once had to take a farmer to court". Also the info on wells. But
even more important in the article is the action of beekeeper Paul
Chantree and 20 others to halt sludge spreading. What has happened
there since then(i.e. with the "review of the practice" and "public
meeting")Is the moratorium still on? I'll continue investigating.
Perhaps try to contact author of article? Get Chantree's phone # from
directory assistance? Contact Grand River Conservation Authority? Does
anyone have an update on this story? BC.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use of sewage sludge for fertilizer questioned
E. coli outbreak raises concerns about what's being put on farm fields
Bob Burtt
RECORD STAFF
Jun. 26, 2000
It is a practice almost as old as agriculture itself but, in the wake
of Walkerton's E. coli epidemic, some people are worried sick about
what's being dumped on Ontario's farms. As cleanup crews continue
swabbing and flushing Walkerton's watermains, the provincial coroner is
investigating at least seven, possibly as many as 18, deaths that may
be linked to the outbreak. At this point, nobody knows for sure how the
E. coli bacteria got into the town's water supply, but that hasn't
stopped accusing fingers from pointing to farms.
And it isn't just manure that's causing concern. Sewage sludge and
industrial wastes are routinely spread on farm fields adding nutrients
and phosphates to the soil. Most of the waste disappears into the soil,
but guidelines allow for up to two per cent of the waste to be
non-biodegradable.
Across the province, everything from treated sewage sludge to waste
from paper mills and other garbage such as composted tomatoes, potatoes
and cookies is spread on farm fields. The practice is legal if
guidelines are followed. However, critics say that's not always the
case and there have been instances where the stuff has been spread
within a metre of the Grand River in Woolwich Township and in swampy
areas at the headwaters of the Grand.
More than 200 sites within Waterloo Region and Wellington, Dufferin and
Brant counties have licences to accept waste from sewage treatment
plants and septic systems and industrial waste.
A 1993 report by the Canadian Geoscience Council of Canada raised
concern about the effect agriculture practices are having on the
country's groundwater resources. "Canada's knowledge of agricultural
impacts on groundwater is meagre, even though there is good reason to
suspect that agriculture is one of the main causes of significant
groundwater contamination in many parts of Canada," the report said.
The same gaps in knowledge exist now, says John Cherry, a University of
Waterloo groundwater scientist and co-author of the 1993 report.
He said both the federal and Ontario governments have cut back on
research and dispensed with many of their groundwater experts.
Make no mistake about it, says Mark Winfield, the spreading of manure,
sewage sludge, industrial wastes and pesticides can all have a major
environmental impact. Winfield is research director with the Canadian
Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. The institute is a
think-tank that does research and analysis of environmental policy in
Canada and receives financial support from a variety of foundations in
Canada and the United States as well as the federal government.
Winfield said the advent of large factory farms is of particular
concern. "One has to ask the question, 'Is this a beneficial
application or is it waste disposal?' " Winfield said. In some
instances, he said, there are questions about the ability of crops and
farm fields to absorb what is being put on them. Winfield said
legislation passed in 1998 gives farmers the right to pollute and
removes the right people once had to take a farmer to court concerning
farm practices. Now, Winfield said, the only recourse is to take
complaints to a farm practices protection board for resolution.
"Common law says you can't do anything that interferes with the normal
use of your property. This (1998 legislation) takes that away."
When something goes wrong, whether it starts on a farm field or a
malfunctioning septic system, the consequences for private or municipal
water systems can be horrific. A study of 1,300 Ontario farm wells in
1991-92 found that one third of the wells were contaminated with
bacteria and 20 per cent contained fecal coliform.
Michael Goss, a professor in the University of Guelph's department of
land resource science, told a recent press conference that bacteria can
be carried into water if manure is spread or held in areas where runoff
can occur. Goss estimates 50 per cent of water-borne diseases are
caused by contaminated wells. Diseases are usually stomach-related and
could be carried by parasites such as cryptosporidium or bacteria such
as E. coli. David Rudolph, a University of Waterloo hydrogeologist,
told the same conference that the danger that lurks in farm fields
underscores the need for proper well design, construction and
maintenance. It is common for wells to be improperly sealed and
vulnerable to contamination. In many instances, the contamination is
restricted to one well and the danger subsides after the problem is
addressed. The situation is more serious and the solution more
difficult if contaminants get into the aquifer.
People tend to dig or drill wells, use them and pay little attention to
maintenance, says John Fitzgibbon, a hydrogeologist with the University
of Guelph. Fitzgibbon said wells are often not planned, positioned or
constructed in a sound manner. Some municipal and private wells are
over 100 years old. If grouting and sealing of a well isn't done
properly there's nothing to prevent contamination from getting in. A
well is like an incision on the skin of the earth and if you puncture
the skin infection can get in, Fitzgibbon said.
Abandoned wells can sometimes provide greater risk than those still in
use. Contaminants can pollute an entire aquifer once they get into an
abandoned well, but would likely be pumped out of an active well.
According to Goss, there is no more manure produced in Ontario now than
in the 1950s, but the likelihood of farm wells being contaminated is
far greater. Goss speculates that the shift from solid to liquid manure
has contributed to the problem, but says the research necessary to
confirm that conclusion hasn't been done.
A trend that has seen farmers specialize in a single commodity has led
to greater concentrations of cattle and hogs on fewer farms.
For instance in 1978, 18,398 hog producers produced about three million
hogs in Ontario. By 1999 the number of producers dropped to 5,099 but
they produced about 4.64 million hogs.
Paul Chantree, a Dundalk area beekeeper who serves on the Grand River
Conservation Authority, has long been concerned about the spreading of
biosolids (sewage sludge) on farm fields, and recent heavy rains has
made the practice even more questionable in his mind.
Recently he and a delegation of about 20 others persuaded Melancthon
Township, near Dundalk at the headwaters of the Grand River, to issue a
moratorium on sludge spreading. Council said spreading will have to
stop until a review of the practice has been completed and a public
meeting involving haulers, the ministries of environment and
agriculture is held.
He's not the only one concerned. John Hanselman, an independent
ecological researcher from Brantford, said heavy rains can wash the
sludge into surface water or into the sub surface and water table. "It
doesn't allow time for plants to uptake (absorb) the material."
Hanselman, an environmental resource studies graduate from the
University of Waterloo, has researched and written several papers on
biosolids. "These wet conditions are ideal for bacteria and viruses,"
Hanselman said.
Guidelines for the use of sewage sludge and other wastes on farm fields
set out when, how and how much waste can be applied to any field. For
instance, sewage sludge can be applied only once every five years and
it can only be applied when the water table is at least 1.5 metres
below ground level. Hanselman notes that this year the water table in
much of Ontario is much higher than in recent years. Many farm fields
are under water and flooded farm fields are one concern being explored
in Walkerton as a possible source of contamination.
While critics view the spreading of sludge as an accident waiting to
happen, farmers and municipalities say it is a win-win situation that
provides land with nutrients and provides municipalities with an
inexpensive alternative to incineration.
Licenced haulers haul an average of 300,000 cubic metres or 7,500
tanker trucks a year from Waterloo Region to designated sites, some in
and some outside of the region. Dave Andrews, manager of wastewater
operations for Waterloo, said residue from the region's 11 sewage
treatment plants is injected to a depth of four inches into the ground.
"Properly stabilized, there should be minimal risk to humans, animals
or the environment." Andrews said there would be a large number of
fecal coliform in untreated sewage, but the number would be
dramatically reduced in the treatment process.
The city of Toronto has relied on an incinerator, but will soon join
other communities that spread the waste on farm fields. And when it
does, it is expected to generate enough for 17 tanker trucks a day.
