Sludge Concerns in Pittsburgh



Concern growing over use of recycled sludge on land
By Judy Lin, Associated Press
Wednesday, July 03, 2002

PITTSBURGH - The dump trucks have begun rolling by Bob Grant's western Pennsylvania farm, carrying recycled sludge by the ton for fertilizing a neighbor's cattle-grazing land.

To Grant, the trucks don't just transport treated wastewater sludge. They carry viruses that can be spread by the wind, bacteria that can seep into the groundwater, and of course, the unbearable stench of ammonia.

"The anger will really kick in as the trucks roll by - knowing that there's nothing you can do about it," said the 64-year-old retired pilot from his home in Jackson Township, Mercer County, a rural community 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.

While the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection considers the sludge safe when used in accordance with federal guidelines, residents and researchers are beginning to question the wisdom of spreading sludge on land, saying the practice can unleash a number of potential health risks.

Following an investigation by the inspector general of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that cites gaps in the science used to approve sludge recycling, the National Research Council was expected to release a study this week on possible health concerns related to sludge recycling. The EPA is expected to review the findings and consider its recommendations, agency spokeswoman Robin Woods said.

More than 4 million tons of recycled wastewater sewage is spread on rural and suburban properties across America each year.

Roy Neer, who owns the 1,000-acre property next to Grant, said he investigated the benefits of recycled sludge before giving his OK. Besides a potential savings of $100,000 over five years, Neer said the sludge is safe. "If it weren't safe, I wouldn't be doing it," said Neer, 79, of Slippery Rock. "If it doesn't add value to the land, if it doesn't get some good results, I'm not going to fool with it."

Neer, who was a cattle rancher for 40 years before retiring and leasing the land, said the process of applying the sludge is filled with so much red tape that there's an unlikely chance for contaminating nearby groundwater. Shipped from the Pittsburgh area, the sludge is applied on 200 to 300 acres at a time. The treated land is then restricted to human access for 30 days to let the toxins naturally die off, neighbors are alerted in writing a month in advance, and testing is done throughout
the process, Neer said.

The practice raised concerns because, even though the recycled sludge is treated, it can contain reduced levels of bacteria, viruses, toxins, and parasites. Harmful substances in the sludge can include salmonella, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, rotaviruses, cryptosporidium, and tapeworm.

"From what I've seen, I believe people are getting sick," said Ellen Z. Harrison, director of the Waste Management Institute at Cornell University.

Harrison and EPA microbiologist David Lewis said the agency lacks the staff and money to monitor how sludge is being applied on land. There's also no plan for monitoring infectious diseases nationwide, they say. The institute has tracked 257 cases of illness which are believed to be likely caused by sludge use.

Pennsylvania Lawsuit Over Local Control of Sludge and Factory Farms



The following is a press lrelease from the The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) ...

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Pennock Family and Township Supervisors Sue House Agriculture Committee Over Bill That Seeks to Shield Sewage Sludge and Factory Farm Corporations from Local Control

CONTACT: Thomas Linzey, Esq. at (717) 709-0457

Russell and Antoinette Pennock, the parents of a boy who died in 1995 after being exposed to land applied sewage sludge, announced today that they have filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania House of Representatives' Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee in Commonwealth Court. In the lawsuit, the Pennocks contend that the House Agriculture Committee violated Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law during its consideration of Senate Bill 1413, a Bill that attempts to shield sewage sludge and factory farm corporations from local, municipal control. The Pennocks have been joined in their lawsuit by Pennsylvanians for Responsible Agriculture (PFRA) and the Quality of Life and Local Control Caucus of Township Supervisors.

The suit contends that the House Agriculture Committee illegally voted to refer Senate Bill 1413 to the full House of Representatives in a meeting that was not advertised or open to the public, and that was held in the rear of the House voting Chamber. Senate Bill 1413 is being sponsored to prohibit municipal governments across Pennsylvania from adopting any Ordinances dealing with land applied sewage sludge or factory livestock operations. In addition to that general prohibition, the Bill also punishes local governments with the payment of attorneys' fees to the sludge and agribusiness corporations which sue local elected officials.

Senate Bill 1413 is a renumbered and reintroduced version of the controversial Senate Bill 826, which remains in the Senate Agriculture Committee after intense opposition from Township Supervisors, community leaders, and the public. Senate Bill 1413, a redux of Senate Bill 826, moved through the legislature in fourteen (14) days, and was pulled from the floor of the House after opponents of the legislation discovered that the Bill had been fast-tracked through the Senate and was moving through the House. Senator Roger Madigan (R-Bradford) is the primary sponsor of both Bills.

Thomas Linzey, attorney for the Plaintiffs, stated that "Senate Bill 1413 has become the rallying cry for those who want clean and accountable government. Meeting in secret, unadvertised meetings closed to the public harkens back to the smoke filled rooms of good ole' boys from yesteryear. Concealing such an anti-democratic measure as SB 1413 from the public reveals just how naked this power grab is - of removing local control over these issues to benefit sludge and agribusiness corporations. Shame on Chairman Ray Bunt, who tried to gerrymander this controversial piece of legislation through the House in violation of the Sunshine Law."

The lawsuit asks the Commonwealth Court to nullify all actions taken by the House Committee at its May 1st meeting held in violation of the Sunshine Law.