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Biosolids NewsClips - October 8, 2025
October’s edition of MABA NewsClips continues to track key developments in biosolids management, with a focus on PFAS policy and permitting, litigation, technology pilots, and facility operations across the Mid-Atlantic region, the United States, and internationally.
MABA Region
Unsurprisingly, PFAS remains a central topic across the Mid-Atlantic region with more developments in state and federal actions, including the EPA reaffirmed its position on CERCLA designations for some PFAS compounds while supporting statutory provisions from Congress to protect “passive receivers.” The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act, introduced earlier this year, proposes protection from CERCLA liability for water systems. Meanwhile, the PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup released its comprehensive set of federal recommendations for Congress and the executive branch to take pragmatic steps to address PFAS to save our farmers and our nation’s farmland for future generations.
Beyond the PFAS buzz, utilities in our region reported some operation updates and legal decisions impacting their biosolids program. In Pennsylvania, the Altoona Water Authority has begun the application of their Class A biosolids, NutrAWAste, to an employee’s cropland as fertilizer. The Altoona Water Authority presented their NutrAWAste project at this year’s MABA Biosolids Summer Symposium.
In other news, the Supreme Court of Maryland made a ruling on a Talbot County dispute over whether applying and stockpiling biosolids and soil conditioners is a “generally accepted agricultural practice.” The Supreme Court held that the county right-to-farm ordinance, not the state statute, governs. Applying the ordinance, the Court found that the County Agricultural Reconciliation Board lacked evidence that the practices were “generally accepted”, that the lands met the ordinance’s “agricultural lands” definition, or that required public health findings were made. As a result, Talbot County’s application of biosolids as a soil amendment is not entitled to the ordinance’s rebuttable presumption, and loses its automatic right-to-farm protection - unless a proper evidentiary record supports the practices.
National News
Across the country, utilities balanced odor control, sludge management, and capital upgrades with policy shifts and community expectations. States considered PFAS-related limits or study requirements, while researchers advanced phosphorus recovery, volatile fatty acids (VFA) production, and PFAS removal approaches.
Fairfax, VT - The Department of Public Works reported progress on odor control and sludge removal improvements at their wastewater treatment facility. The treatment plant was built in the 1980s and faces industry-wide challenges with aging infrastructure and antiquated technology. Fairfax is addressing these concerns utilizing Congressionally Directed Spending awarded to the town to fund system upgrades.
Unity, ME - Casella Waste Systems will close the Hawk Ridge Compost Facility after Maine DEP identified high PFAS levels; the company cited regulatory uncertainty and costs after declining DEP’s request for more testing.
St. Louis, MO - Washington University researchers evaluated producing short-chain volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from anaerobically digested sludge as an alternative product pathway.
International News
International reports highlighted plant rebuilds and capacity upgrades, biochar initiatives, desludging projects, odor management, and waste-to-energy pilots. Spotlighted examples of innovation and resilience in our industry around the world include a University of Queensland–led trial in Brisbane, Australia, to scale a magnetic-resin technology for PFAS removal from wastewater and semi-solid streams, and the Suraj Miani Wastewater Treatment Plant in Multan, Pakistan, maintaining operations despite severe flooding by storing flows and preventing sewer overflows.
MABA will continue to monitor these developments and provide timely updates to members.
If you have biosolids-related news to share or are interested in participating in MABA’s Communications Committee, please contact Mary Baker at 845-901-7905 or [email protected]
Biosolids News
(As of September 29, 2025)
MABA Region
Concerned Columbia County residents seek answers on PFAS from Penn State Extension
Pittston, PA (1 Sept 2025) - The state Department of Environmental Protection started investigating signs of contamination in April 2024 after it found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels 110 times state standards at a local mobile home community during a routine check. DEP believes, but has not definitively confirmed, that the contamination was caused by biosolids or ‘sewage sludge’ used as fertilizer on nearby farmland during the 1970s-80s. Penn State is researching PFAS contamination across the state separately from DEP — and cannot answer any questions about DEP’s investigation — but organized Thursday's forum for the public.
Finding a resource in what remains
Easton, PA (16 Sept 2025) - On farms around the country, phosphorus-based fertilizers are being applied to fields to increase the productivity of crops. However, the primary method of acquiring phosphorus requires mining phosphate rock, a labor- and resource-intensive process that depletes a finite resource. This summer, Katherine Twiggar ’28 hoped to find a more sustainable place to gather phosphorus: the tons of biosolids accumulating every day in our municipal wastewater treatment plants. Working alongside Jennifer Rao, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Twiggar joined a team of student researchers to study the effects of phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria to separate the valuable element from a material that is usually consigned to a landfill.
Broad Set of Agricultural Stakeholders Unite on Federal Roadmap to Protect Farmers from PFAS
Washington, DC (16 Sept 2025) - Today, the PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup released the nation’s first comprehensive set of federal recommendations to address PFAS contamination of agricultural land. The Workgroup—led by American Farmland Trust and representing 16 farmer, commodity, conservation, research, and health groups, as well as state departments of agriculture—calls upon Congress and the executive branch to take pragmatic steps to address PFAS in order to protect farmers and their families, keep farms and ranches in business, maintain a safe national food supply, and safeguard our nation’s farmland for future generations.
Sludge with forever chemicals spread on US farms threatens food supply, livelihoods
Washington, DC (22 Sept 2025) - Every year, more than one million tons of sewage, sludge or biosolids are applied to U.S. farmlands. For decades, it's been used as fertilizer to provide nutrients to the soil. But this sludge often contains PFAS, toxic "forever chemicals" that have been linked to cancer, and are now invading our food supply through the very farms that nourish us. And now, just as the United States was on the verge of action to address the risk, there is a high-level effort to stop it entirely.
EPA to retain CERCLA designation for PFAS, support ‘passive receivers’
Washington, DC (22 Sept 2025) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vowed last week to protect “passive receivers” of some PFAS contaminants while retaining their designation as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund). CERCLA imposes broad, retroactive, and potentially costly strict liability on those who released hazardous substances to the environment. In some cases, this liability can attach to entities that did not manufacture or generate the substance but received it in feedstocks, products, or waste. Such entities are sometimes referred to as “passive receivers.”
EPA Retains PFOA and PFOS as CERCLA Hazardous Substances
Altoona Water Authority employee to conduct field testing of NutrAWAste
Altoona, PA (24 Sept 2025) - The Altoona Water Authority at a recent meeting authorized the transfer of 15 tons of the Class A soil amendment that it produces with its anaerobic digester and dryer to an employee who is a farmer, so the employee can conduct a study of the product’s effectiveness. The employee plans to apply the NutrAWAste he received as a fertilizer on cropland, then cover it with hay, while also covering similar ground with hay, but minus the NutrAWAste, as a control, in hopes the testing will show the soil amendment works, according to Sewer Operations Director Brad Kelly.
Dundalk waste water facility fire occurred at 'third-party' Synagro's building
Dundalk, MD (24 Sept 2025) - During a public meeting on Tuesday night hosted by the Greater North Point Association, a representative for the Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant confirmed that last week's fire occurred at a building currently occupied by Synagro, a third-party contractor hired by Baltimore City. Synagro processes organic materials in the facility's waste water to turn into pellets referred to as "biosolids," which are shipped to farms in the United States to be used as compost and fertilizer. The biosolids producer owns and operates all of the machinery in the building and is thus responsible for what occurs on the land.
Congress tries to shut down action on dangerous PFAS in fertilizer 'in the dark of night'
Washington, DC (25 Sept 2025) - The feds were on track to take action in January 2025. That's when the EPA laid out serious risks associated with even small amounts of PFAS chemicals in biosolids applied to farmland. But tucked in the text of a Congressional budget bill, a one-sentence rider that could put the brakes on it all. It reads: "None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce" that risk assessment by the EPA.
Riverkeepers warn of PFAS risks as DEQ holds back on regulation
Strasburg, VA (28 Sept 2025) - Persistent “forever chemicals” known as PFAS may be making their way into Shenandoah Valley waterways and farmland with little oversight from Virginia regulators, according to the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. David Flores, senior legal counsel for the network, said Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has declined to require monitoring or limits for PFAS in key pollution permits, even when evidence of contamination is clear. He pointed to a draft permit for Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, where Army sampling has found contamination in soil, groundwater and nearby streams.
Md. Supreme Court reverses in Foster Farms case (Ag Law)
Talbot County, MD (26 Sept 2025) - The Supreme Court of Maryland recently handed down a decision in the appeal of Talbot County’s decision involving the application and stockpiling of biosolids and soil conditioners on a farm and the county and state’s right-to-farm laws. The Supreme Court found that the Appellate Court’s decision involving the state’s right-to-farm law was improper since the Talbot County Agricultural Reconciliation Board’s decision only involved Talbot County’s county right-to-farm ordinance. Concerning the board’s decision, the Supreme Court found that the board’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence and reversed the appellate court’s decision. The decision is In re Foster Farms, No. 25, SEPT. TERM, 2024 (Md. July 30, 2025).
Nationally
Odors and upgrades: Fairfax DPW works to help strengthen wastewater plant until upgrades arrive
Fairfax, VT (29 Aug 2025) - It’s been a busy season for Fairfax’s wastewater utility department. From fixing strong odors to sludge removal, the Department of Public Works is maintaining and improving the aging treatment plant until bigger upgrades arrive. When the wastewater treatment facility on Hunt Street was built in the 1980s, it had all the current specifications it needed. But when applying the facility to 2025 needs, the plant has become increasingly antiquated. Fairfax, however, understands this and the Congressionally Directed Spending awarded to the town early last year to help upgrade the system is slowly working its way through studies and design plans.
Sludge: A PFAS Uprising | Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Bucksport, ME (25 Sept 2025) - The Shaw Institute is proud to be screening the award-winning documentary short film, SLUDGE: A PFAS UPRISING (28 minutes), followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmakers, PFAS experts and Maine family farmers that are featured in the film. The audience will also have the opportunity to ask questions. Our team served as advisors on the film and also created the official education guide for it. This event is a fundraiser for the Shaw Institute’s nonprofit mission, specifically supporting our PFAS research and testing capabilities.
City sludge to be hauled
Seymour, MO (3 Sept 2025) - Over the past few years, sludge at the Seymour Wastewater Treatment Plant has accumulated. Significantly. “We need to haul about 45 loads of sludge from the sewer plant,” City Administrator Hillary Elliott told the Seymour Board of Aldermen at the group’s regular monthly meeting last Tuesday, Aug. 26. Two bids were received for the project, as the city’s truck for the purpose isn’t adequate for the job. The first bid was from Hillhouse Pumping of Verona for $250 per load. A bid of $450 per load came from another company. Hillhouse Pumping was awarded the bid.
Indianhead seeks permit for expanded yard debris site amid odor controversy
St. Johns County, FL (3 Sept 2025) - Indianhead Biomass has filed an application with St. Johns County to process yard debris on a cleared 50-acre tract on its existing property, The Citizen has learned. The request, submitted Aug. 7 by planner Heather Neville on behalf of property owner Dr. Roy H. Hinman, is under review by the county’s Growth Management Department. The operation has come under scrutiny — including coverage in the Wall Street Journal — after nearby residents complained that its biosolids processing produced foul odors.
Margate’s Biosolids Plan Tracks State and National Shifts
Margate, FL (4 Sept 2025) - Margate is contracting H & H Liquid Sludge Disposal, Inc. for transporting and disposing of Class B biosolids from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The agreement sets unit pricing at $46.50 per cubic yard and $1,395 per load for both regular and emergency service, with a four-year initial term and a single two-year renewal the administration can exercise without returning to the Commission. Staff advertised the solicitation on July 10, 2025; two bids were opened August 14, and H & H submitted the lowest responsive bid. Historically, the city spends about $400,000 per year on this service, so locking in predictable unit rates materially affects the utility budget.
A Maine compost operation heavily contaminated by PFAS is closing
Unity Township, ME (5 Sept 2025) - Casella Waste Systems is closing its Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in Unity Township after Maine regulators discovered high levels of forever chemicals on the site and indications that the contamination may have spread to the land around it. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection asked the company in February 2024 to test more and remediate contamination. Casella declined, citing uncertain future regulations and high costs of remediation as reasons to close in letters between it and the DEP obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
Massachusetts next in list of states debating PFAS limits in biosolids
Boston, MA (8 Sept 2025) - Massachusetts lawmakers are scheduled to debate on Wednesday a bill that targets PFAS contamination in water, soil products and landfills. It’s one of 12 states where lawmakers have considered legislation this year seeking to address contamination from the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have become widely used in manufacturing, according to an analysis by Safer States. As public awareness of public health issues connected to PFAS has increased, states have increasingly looked to regulate the class of chemicals.
Biosolids Fertilizer Pros & Cons
Topeka, KS (9 Sept 2025) - Biosolid fertilizers may have continued largely unnoticed if it weren’t for recent press related to the dangers of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or “PFAS,” in the sludge, including the Environmental Working Group reporting that millions of acres of U.S. farmland could be contaminated with PFAS from using biosolids for fertilizer. Now, several states are seeking to stop the practice of spreading biosolids. But if we can properly test biosolids to confirm their safety, do total bans cause us to miss out on a valuable source of “homegrown” nitrogen at a time when we need it most? To help me decide, I set out to evaluate biosolids’ risks and benefits.
"Forever chemicals" found in Chapel Hill well as county studies sludge’s role
Chapel Hill, NC (11 Sept 2025) - The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), which operates the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant, confirmed that biosolids have been applied on nearby parcels since 1988. OWASA owns hundreds of acres around Cane Creek Reservoir and partners with farmers across Orange, Chatham and Alamance counties to land-apply the treated sludge under state permits. OWASA began testing biosolids for PFAS in August 2022, after the EPA approved new testing methods. In its most recent sampling from February 2025, six PFAS compounds were detected in dewatered biosolids and four were found in liquid biosolids.
Advocates speak out against overlooked threat to millions of Americans' health: 'We've got to make a change'
Bend, Oregon (12 Sept 2025) - Human waste, treated and combined with industrial waste, has been used for decades as a cheap fertilizer. But its agricultural use began before the sludge was discovered to carry an even more disturbing characteristic than its origins might initially suggest: Along with nutrients, it is also often replete with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. While the science on the potential effects of PFAS exposure is still developing, the chemicals have been linked with a range of health problems. This threat, already deeply felt by some families, is now uniting advocates from both major political parties in the hopes that the Trump administration will advance bans on the toxic sludge rather than weaken them — as its Environmental Protection Agency has done with some regulations on PFAS in drinking water.
A silver lining in sewer sludge: volatile fatty acids
St. Louis, MO (16 Sept 2025) - Many sewage treatment plants are equipped to process waste using anaerobic digestion, in which the sewage sludge is held in an oxygen-free chamber to ferment and break down. As part of that degradation, biogas such as methane can be reclaimed from that sludge. But the process can be expensive because it requires electric generators to convert the biogas to a more useful form such as electricity, and such conversion may not be economically viable when biogas production is at a small scale. Jason He and his team looked at short-chain volatile fatty acids (VFA), a common intermediate compound for many materials, including bioplastics.
Special judge allows part of biosolids lawsuit to proceed
Bartholomew County, IN (17 Sept 2025) - A special judge has allowed part of a lawsuit challenging a Bartholomew County ordinance restricting out-of-county biosolids to move forward. Jackson Superior Court 1 Judge Amy Marie Travis, who is serving as special judge in the case, partially granted and partially denied a motion Friday by the Bartholomew County commissioners seeking to dismiss the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by Biocycle LLC in February, alleges that the ordinance unfairly restricts its business, caused potential partners to back out of deals and gives unjust preferential treatment to local biosolids, according to a copy of the complaint.
Ribbon cut at Jefferson wastewater treatment plant update
Jefferson, IA (17 Sept 2025) - A ribbon cutting was held at Jefferson’s upgraded wastewater treatment plant Sept. 12. The ribbon cutting was preceded by Java & Juice at Kelso Park, with several employees of Bolton & Menk, the consulting engineer for the project, on hand. The general contractor for the project was Shank Constructors Inc of Brooklyn Park, MN. The project took a total of five years, starting in 2020, as the aging plant was unable to comply with new permit standards for nutrient levels in treated water.
County, private operators take steps to bring composting back to Maui
Maui, HI (18 Sept 2025) - County officials say efforts are underway to bring composting back to Maui. The first phase of an Organics Processing Facility received funding this year and is already taking shape at the Central Maui Landfill. The project involves a Greasezilla system that separates Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG), removing it from the waste stream and processing it into a biofuel. The county has built an operational pad for the project and is awaiting final Department of Health approvals, according to Cecile Powell, acting manager of the Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division within Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management.
Fort Worth Secures $4M State Loan To Remove Forever Chemicals From Wastewater
Fort Worth, TX (20 Sept 2025) - Fort Worth has secured a $4 million state loan to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment. Federal agencies have linked PFAS exposure to serious health risks. City officials said the loan will help address PFAS contamination affecting local water sources as part of broader legal and technological efforts to protect public health. Water quality experts said the money will fund treatment upgrades to better eliminate PFAS, which do not naturally break down and can linger in water supplies for decades.
Oklahoma lawmakers push to halt biosolid use amid health concerns
Oklahoma City, OK (23 Sept 2025) - An Oklahoma lawmaker is intensifying efforts to halt the use of biosolids, also known as humanure, as fertilizer on farmland due to health concerns linked to "forever chemicals." Representative Jim Shaw has been vocal about the potential risks, stating, "We here in Oklahoma as a legislative body haven't somehow figured out that this is a legitimate risk to food production, to clean water, and to the benefit of the overall health of the state of Oklahoma."
Internationally
Barwon Water, RMIT and Deakin universities to recycle wastewater biosolids
Melbourne, Australia (2 Sept 2025) - RMIT and Deakin universities are working with Barwon Water to create agricultural and manufacturing products out of wastewater treatment and household biosolids. The project will support Barwon Water to develop facilities at its Black Rock and Colac water reclamation plants to produce biochar – a charcoal-like material made from controlled heating of organic matter. Researchers will explore the optimal formulations for biochar for the Geelong region’s soil conditions to produce high-value cereal and legume crops.
Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant rebuild project on track
Christchurch, New Zealand (2 Sept 2025) - The rebuild of Christchurch’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is on schedule and within budget, councillors have been told. At a council workshop on Tuesday, council staff updated elected members on progress with the new Activated Sludge Plant. The project follows the fire in November 2021 that destroyed the plant’s trickling filters. That forced the council to put in place an interim treatment system that has caused ongoing environmental and community issues.
Desludging next step in addressing problems at New Minas, N.S., sewage plant
Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada (5 Sept 2025) - A recurring odour from the regional sewage treatment plant in New Minas is now under control and a sludge removal project is the next step in addressing problems at the facility. Chief administrative officer Scott Conrod and environmental services manager Martin Kehoe presented an update on the plant to Kings County council at the Sept. 2 monthly meeting. Conrod said that, as was reported earlier, the recurring stench from the plant was caused by a lack of dissolved oxygen in the second of five treatment lagoons at the regional plant. The oxygen level wasn’t keeping up with the strength of incoming waste.
West Hants to desludge Falmouth wastewater plant to prevent stench, system failure
Stressholme upgrade brings improved wastewater treatment, regional growth, and carbon savings
London, England (9 Sept 2025) - The Stressholme STW upgrade is set to be completed by Autumn 2025, delivering improved wastewater treatment and environmental benefits for customers in the Darlington area. For customers and the region, this means smarter investment, creating new jobs, improving resilience, and sustainable solutions. Together with its partner, AE Yates, Northumbrian Water is installing a new centrifuge that will enhance the site’s ability to separate solids from liquids in wastewater. This upgrade will reduce waste volume and produce an even cleaner treated water for return to the environment.
District of Hope authorizes $700,000 for emergency de-sludging of wastewater treatment plant
District of Hope, British Columbia, Canada (10 Sept 2025) - The District of Hope council has authorized using $700,000 from a reserve fund to cover emergency de-sludging at the Hope wastewater treatment plant. District Operations Director Kevin Dickinson brought the issue up during the Sept. 8 council meeting, explaining the de-sludging is needed for the third lagoon at Hope's Pollution Control Centre. De-sludging is the removal of sludge and septage from septic tanks, pit latrines and any wastewater treatment systems.
Stink alert with urgent repairs at Seaview wastewater plant
Seaview, New Zealand (10 Sept 2025) - If you think Seaview in Lower Hutt is a bit smellier than usual, it’s true. Wellington Water has warned residents of the industrial area ‒ and the wider Hutt Valley ‒ that there is a temporary increased risk of odour from the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant due to repairs. The Seaview dryer was taken off line early this week to complete an urgent repair which is now likely to take until the end of the week.
What happens to Bucharest's wastewater after 40 years of works and hundreds of millions of euros in EU funding
Bucharest, Romania (10 Sept 2025) - Before the Glina Wastewater Treatment Plant (SEAU Glina) was built, everything flushed away by Bucharest’s residents flowed directly into the Dâmbovița River. From there, it reached the Argeș, then emptied into the Danube, and ultimately into the Black Sea. According to the feasibility study that served as the basis for the first phase of the Glina project, „the discharge of untreated wastewater from Bucharest was considered the main factor degrading water quality in the Dâmbovița and Argeș rivers—and also one of the main sources of pollution in the Danube.”
Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms
London, England (12 Sept 2025) - More than 750,000 tonnes of liquid from landfills are mixed with sewage at water treatment works and spread on farmland across England each year, it can be revealed. Generated by hundreds of landfills across the country, leachate – the liquid that drains through landfill waste carrying a cocktail of chemicals – is regularly tankered to sewage treatment works, where it mixes with domestic sewage and industrial effluent to create sludge, also described as “biosolids”.
Sarawak delegation explores sustainable sewage solutions in China
Kuching, China (13 Sept 2025) - A Sarawak delegation led by Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee has visited several sewage treatment facilities in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, China, to explore sustainable solutions in sewage and waste management. The Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) in a statement said the lessons learned from Xiangyang are highly relevant to Sarawak’s Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, particularly in areas of circular economy, advanced sludge treatment technologies, and renewable energy generation from waste.
Bolivar’s new upgrade opens for first flush
Bolivar, Australia (15 Sept 2025) - Bolivar’s new inlet, one of a series of upgrades funded in part through the Malinauskas Labor Government’s Housing Roadmap, is now capable of processing up to 630 million litres of sewage per day, boosting the plant’s capacity by more than double the current daily average flow. The new inlet includes 4 new 6-metre-high screen trains – each comprising a coarse and fine screen – and acts as the first stage of the wastewater treatment process by removing solid inorganic materials such as wet wipes. This initial screening stage protects downstream pipes and pumps from blockages and damage, with the coarse screen bars spaced as closely as 50 millimetres, and fine screening down to 6 millimetres.
Sewerage system survives flood
Multan, Pakistan (15 Sept 2025) - According to a statement, the efforts were led by Managing Director Khalid Raza Khan at the Suraj Miani Wastewater Treatment Plant when floodwaters advanced on September 2, triggering a sewerage emergency. Despite the closure of outfall points, the plant stored water continuously, ensuring smooth drainage and preventing sewage overflow. The MD praised the engineers and staff who had protected the 184-acre plant, closely monitored the 11-kilometre sludge carrier.
CDA fails to prevent Sandaymar Dam’s sewage contamination
Islamabad, Pakistan (22 Sept 2025) - Recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a task force to protect small dams within the vicinity of the federal capital from contamination. However, residents of Dhoke Sandaymar have received no relief regarding the protection of Sandaymar Dam. An aerial survey conducted by the Punjab government a few years ago showed that large drains originating from Tarnol, some five kilometres away, along with sewage from two main housing societies, flow into the dam’s water.
Gates Foundation-funded plant in Thiruvananthapuram to transform sewage into electricity
Thiruvananthapuram, India (24 Sept 2025) - Human waste is no longer just garbage. In a groundbreaking initiative, a plant at the heart of Kerala capital will soon turn sewage sludge into electricity. LSGD Minister M B Rajesh on Wednesday, inaugurated the construction of the Rs 36-crore Omni Processor at the Muttathara sewage treatment plant. The entire cost has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Wastewater trial for potential PFAS solution
Brisbane, Australia (24 Sept 2025) - According to UQ, a magnetic resin developed by Dr Cheng Zhang at UQ’s shows promise as a safe and cost-effective filtration tool that removes PFAS from water. Now Zhang will lead a $7 million project with colleague Dr Zicheng Su and a consortium of commercial partners led by ViridAU to show that the magnetic resin can also remove PFAS from semi-solid effluent. The group plans to trial and scale up the resin at Australian treatment plants over the next three years using $5 million from commercial partners and a $2 million Federal Government Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P) grant.
Cassidy-area residents fume over stink from quarry
Cassidy, British Columbia, Canada (25 Sept 2025) - Residents of a neighbourhood near Cassidy are unhappy with what they say is an overpowering smell coming from a quarry where biosolids from Greater Victoria’s sewage-treatment facility are being dumped. Residents who live near the Amrize — formerly Lafarge — quarry on Nanaimo River Road say the smell is affecting their health and quality of life, and they’re starting to wonder what impact burying the biosolids may be having on groundwater, nearby salmon rivers and hatcheries.
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September 2025 - Sally Brown Research Library & Commentary
Provided for consideration to MABA members by
Sally Brown, PhD., University of Washington
Global Health
The September issue is often a blockbuster. Even if you don’t regularly subscribe to Vogue, you may be familiar. It is the end of summer, school is starting and things get serious again. Don’t worry, the library isn’t going to head back to PFAS just yet. Instead, we are going to look at the big picture - global scale. This is one of those libraries to help you realize that you are doing critical work for public and environmental health PFAS aside. It is also to put that PFAS into perspective.
We start with a scary thing - antibiotic resistance. Article #1 Evaluating the relationship between community water and sanitation access and the global burden of antibiotic resistance: an ecological study kicks it off. Antibiotic resistance refers to superbugs that don’t care how much doxycycline you take. Here the authors looked at genomes from poop from around the world to identify prevalence of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and then correlated that with the availability of advanced sanitation and access to clean water. There are different classes of antibiotics and resistance is often expressed relative to a particular class. What the authors found was that antibiotic resistance varied by region, with the highest levels of resistance seen in Africa followed by South-East Asia and then South and Central America. Access to sanitation significantly reduced the presence of ARGs, more so than access to clean water. However both together reduced the presence of ARGs by 22%. Here is what they recommend:
All that stuff on the top half of the figure is what you do, and you do it well.
Let’s see if Article #2 Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems agrees with article #1. Here the authors test activated sludge samples from across 6 continents in their search for ARGs. For those interested in ARGs in wastewater, there was a previous library devoted to that topic - just ask. The authors found that resistance to Tetracycline was most common (as did study #1). They also talk about mechanisms of resistance with ARGs programmed to deactivate being the most abundant. While the authors didn’t see difference in ARG abundance across continents, they did see that the populations were richer and more diverse in Africa and Asia. They also found that the characteristics of the resistomes in activated sludge were similar to those in soil and sewage and different from those in human guts and the ocean. You can see the various difference based on species richness, distribution across continents and across different habitats in the figure below.
They also found that if you are an ARG in a WWTP you’ll likely be hanging out with Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, both of which are adapted to life in the activated sludge tank where they can also easily transfer genes. Think of it as an ideal hook up spot. The authors found that the suspended solids, temperature and city population increased ARG abundance and that retention time, pH and influent BOD decreased it. Populations were not related to how much antibiotics were used. Thankfully they did not raise an alarm about WWTPs as breeding grounds for ABR as many other studies have done.
We go to Article #3 Canada has an opportunity to address antimicrobial resistance through COVID-19 recovery spending for a broader picture. The article focuses on a holistic approach to reduce antibiotic resistance, noting that globally ABR has already resulted in over 1 million deaths. Much of this approach is not pertinent to WWTP, however recommendation D hits home. They recommend Monitoring environmental reservoirs for resistant bacteria. The authors here note that WWTP and animal facilities are terrific places to monitor and that operational parameters at WWTP could be a way to reduce the potential spread of ABR. They point out that COVID was a terrific start of wastewater epidemiology (multiple libraries on this, just ask) and that adding ABR to that mission would be a terrific option.
It is time to add something else to your job description. Covid really brought home the ability of wastewater to not only protect public health by killing pathogens, it also is a terrific predictor of what illnesses are coming. Article #4 Wastewater surveillance for public health drives that point home. The article discusses why wastewater samples are so powerful for public health. They note that samples can be collected and analyzed relatively quickly. They identify disease patterns for everyone who flushes, not just those who go to the doctor. They suggest that we need to invest more in this, to be able to identify new diseases and not just look for the ones we know. They say that …wastewater is one of our most powerful assets’ and that is pretty cool. Can you imagine a new source control division focused on public health instead of PFAS?
The final article in the library #5 Wastewater monitoring can anchor global disease surveillance systems is a longer version of #4 with a global focus. The authors looked at how samples were taken, where the analysis took place and who got to see the results. For high income countries (HIC) samples were typically collected as composites from centralized WWTPs. For low income countries, grab samples were more common, often from pit latrines and open drains. Samples are typically analyzed in house. The figure below shows how much of each country’s population is routinely tested.
The authors note that most of the testing is only shared within a small group or region. Much as was suggested in Article #3 - The authors call for a more integrated approach with open data networks to better enable detection and warnings on new outbreaks. They see this as a public health tool.
Feels nice to me to be considered as essential for protecting public health in yet another way. Like a cool autumn breeze.
Sally Brown is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington, and she is also a columnist and editorial board member for BioCycle magazine.
Do you have information or research to share with MABA members? Looking for other research focus or ideas?
Contact Mary Baker at [email protected] or 845-901-7905. |
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