MABA celebrates 2024 Biosolids Champions!
MABA is proud to share highlights from the second annual MABA recognition awards ceremony. These awards helped to celebrate individuals in the biosolids community who exemplify the role of a champion for the wastewater and biosolids sector. The award winners have demonstrated commitment, ingenuity, leadership and service to MABA, to the biosolids profession, and to the community at large.
MABA Young Professional Biosolids Champion award
- Kelly O'Connell
Kelly is an active and contributing member of MABA PFAS Focus Group. She has run field ops for biosolids land application projects with Casella Resource Solutions for 4 years. Kelly’s compliance activities include qualifying biosolids for beneficial use, monitoring compliance of over 70 generators of finished biosolids and other residuals (158,000 tons) produced or managed by Casella. She has worked extensively with the Biosolids Environmental Assessment Model (BEAM) to calculate biosolids emissions for not only the Casella footprint but also several individual generators. Kelly is considered Casella’s expert on BEAM to calculate greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reductions for biosolids generators encouraging recycling of biosolids.
MABA Biosolids Champion award - John Uzupis
John is a long time member of MABA. He is a past president of MABA, and remains an active member of the MABA Board and the chair of the MABA Regulatory & Legislative committee. John is the Technical Services Director for the Mid-Atlantic region for Synagro, where he has overall responsibility for directing land base management for biosolids, food, water treatment and pulp and paper residuals, and for regulatory compliance for beneficial reuse of residual products with federal, state and local agencies. John continues to promote safe processing and distribution of biosolids while being on the frontlines of the ever-changing regulatory environment of today.
MABA Lifetime Achievement award - Al Razik
Al is a charter member of MABA and has been an active member since the initial meeting of the organization. Al has dedicated much of his professional and personal time to help MABA grow into what it is today. As the long-time treasurer, Al has provided steady leadership and also implemented innovative ways to manage MABA funds to ensure MABA’s continued viability. Al actively participates in committee and Board meetings and leads by example. In a time when many MABA members limit their service to ideas and input, Al continues to work to implement and execute important organizational functions. And as he began his professional retirement late last year, he pledged to continue his invaluable efforts and activities with MABA.
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Biosolids NewsClips - October 1, 2024
NewsClips is filled with articles from around the region and the world. This edition includes some positive articles, including articles about new permits and upgrades to facilities in the MABA region. Additionally, there is an article from Glasgow, Scotland, where researchers are investigating the potential of converting sewage sludge into a mineral-rich material that could be used to treat water impacted by eutrophication and algal blooms – a phenomenon increasingly affecting lochs and rivers, associated with climate change.
Unfortunately, there are some less-than-positive articles in this edition, including recent articles from the New York Times that raise concerns about PFAS in farmland, and the implication of potential contamination from the land application of biosolids. MABA, together with six biosolids organizations across the country, worked to create the National Communication Guidance: PFAS and Biosolids Management document. This resource is intended to help our members in the face of such articles, and in their work and communications within the communities they serve.
The monthly newsclips are brought to you by the MABA Communications Committee, and they are looking for MABA members who are interested in learning more about their work for the biosolids sector. Please reach out to Mary Baker if you are interested in checking out an upcoming Communications Committee meeting.
Stay tuned for more information from MABA. If you have biosolids news to share, please reach out to Mary Baker at 845-901-7905 or [email protected].
Biosolids News
as of September 29, 2024
MABA Region
Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals.
New York, NY (31 Aug 2024) - For decades, farmers across America have been encouraged by the federal government to spread municipal sewage on millions of acres of farmland as fertilizer. It was rich in nutrients, and it helped keep the sludge out of landfills. But a growing body of research shows that this black sludge, made from the sewage that flows from homes and factories, can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals thought to increase the risk of certain types of cancer and to cause birth defects and developmental delays in children.
BioCycle - Connections: Facts Versus Fear Mongering
EPA Awards $15 Million for Research on PFAS Exposure and Reduction in Agriculture
Washington, DC (4 Sep 2024) - Today, September 4, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced over $15 million in research grant funding to ten institutions for research to reduce per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure from food and protect our farmlands and farming communities. These community-engaged research projects will collect PFAS bioaccumulation data in agricultural plants and livestock and explore strategies for reducing PFAS exposure, which are important parts of EPA’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment from PFAS.
AWA receives biosolids permit
Altoona, PA (9 Sep 2024) - The Altoona Water Authority has obtained an exceptional quality biosolids permit for the product of its new anaerobic digester-dryer system. The authority plans to sell the product as a soil amendment to the general public under the trade name NutrAWAste — a play on the nature of the product and the short form of the authority’s name. An official suggested “Brown to Green,” but that was rejected as “too visual,” said Kelly Wyant, operation and compliance manager at a recent authority meeting.
'Forever chemical' contamination concerns raised after Potomac Riverkeeper mapping project
Frederick County, MD (11 Sep 2024) - All but one Frederick County Public School with well water contaminated by the so-called "forever chemical" PFAS is in close proximity to fire stations and farm fields in Maryland, where sewage sludge is spread, according to a GIS mapping analysis conducted by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. Fire stations are of particular interest because firefighting foam, and fireproof materials, are well established sources PFAS, which can be spread by training and maintenance activities.
Frederick County, Md. schools give out water bottles to prevent 'forever chemicals'
Casella tells town of Thurston it wants to build composting facility despite moratorium
Thurston, NY (17 Sep 2024) - Waste management company Casella wants to turn its halted sewage sludge business in Steuben County into a composting business, despite a moratorium in place since February. In a letter dated Aug. 5, Casella Organics’ lawyer told the town of Thurston it is moving forward with a permit modification from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to begin construction on a composting facility at its Bonny Hill location.
Aqua Virginia Upgrades Manakin Farms Wastewater Treatment Facility in Goochland County
Rockville, VA (19 Sep 2024) - Aqua Virginia today announced it has successfully completed a significant upgrade project at its Manakin Farms Wastewater Treatment Facility in Goochland County. The sludge dewatering process improvement upgrades are designed to improve the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process and reduce the facility’s environmental footprint.
Did PFAS From Sewage Sludge Poison a Family Farm?
New York, NY (21 Sep 2024) - Allison Jumper’s family was a picture of healthy living. Active kids. Wholesome meals. A freezer stocked with organic beef from her in-laws’ farm in Maine. Then in late 2020, she got a devastating call from her brother-in-law. High levels of harmful “forever chemicals” had been detected on their farm and in their cows’ milk, and they were getting shut down.
Is sewage sludge laced with ‘forever chemicals’ contaminating Va. farmland? No one’s testing it.
Richmond, VA (26 Sep 2024) - It’s out of sight and out of mind, and it might just be killing people. For decades, American factories have been sending their wastewater to municipal sewage treatment plants across the country, which handle it along with the effluent from other industries, homes and businesses. At the other end of the process, the separated and dried-out solids are often delivered to farmers as free fertilizer. The land application of this “sewage sludge” has long been encouraged by environmental regulators as a way to deal with what would otherwise be a vexing waste disposal problem.
Nationally
Report: Land application of toxic sludge making Tennessee waters contaminated
Elizabethton, TN (27 Aug 2024) - The latest research reveals high levels of PFAS chemicals have been detected in Tennessee’s soil and water, leading to demands for a statewide ban on using sewage sludge as fertilizer. According to the Sierra Club report, PFAS are a class of more than 15,000 man-made chemicals that are persistent in the environment due to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds.
Bledsoe County mayor questions safety of biosolids, but farmers show their support
Despite biosolid benefits, Tennessee's water safety questioned after PFAS found in soil
Tennessee to debate use of biosolids on farmland amid cancer-linked PFAS concerns
Tennessee officials, residents debate the safety of biosolids in farming
City of Wasilla accepts EPA grant to address growing sludge wastewater
Wasilla, AK (28 Aug 2024) - At its last council meeting, the City of Wasilla accepted a $5.6 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for new projects that will help address its growing sludge wastewater issue. The grant funds will improve the City's wastewater treatment plant. According to the grant paperwork, the city plans to expand a sludge digestion facility, construct a new floating suction dredge, and renovate sludge drying beds to be year-round rather than seasonal.
Higher water, sewer bills on the way
Jamestown, RI (29 Aug 2024) - The price to furnish public water and treat its subsequent sewage is getting more expensive for households in the utility district. The town council, sitting as the water and sewer commissioners, approved the water and sewer budgets for fiscal year 2024-25 at its Aug. 19 meeting. The operating budget on the wastewater side increased $45,265, or 4.9 percent, from $920,401 to $965,666. This budget will require a 9 percent increase in the flat usage rate from $19.09 to $20.81.
Anti-biosolid fertilizer candidate wins Oklahoma state House race
Oklahoma City, OK (28 Aug 2024) - Republican voters in a central Oklahoma House district have ousted their high-ranking representative, who had drawn controversy for his use and support of sewage fertilizer on area farms. Rep. Kevin Wallace, who has represented the district for nearly a decade and was serving as the chair of the high-profile House budget committee, was beaten by Jim Shaw in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff.
‘A nightmare.’ North Texas farmers say chemicals in fertilizer are killing their livestock
Fort Worth, TX (30 Aug 2024) - Families who built their small farms around riding their horses, raising cattle and holding family fish fries in rural Johnson County face an uncertain future because of what they’re finding in the pasture or stock tank: dead or deformed cattle, horses and fish. The past two years have been a “nightmare” for the family farmers, and they point to “forever chemicals” found in fertilizer made from sewage as the reason.
'Forever chemicals' on Texas land? EPA puts $3.2M into PFAS biosolids research
EPA Claims No Obligation to Regulate PFAS in Farmland Sewage Sludge
Planting Seeds For Safer Farming
Residents raise a stink about biosolid smell
Whidbey, WA (6 Sep 2024) - When the City of Oak Harbor began moving 12 to 14 weeks’ worth of biosolids on a North Oak Harbor property last week, Scott Chezick, a resident on North East Oleary Street, walked outside expecting to find a corpse or a carcass. Following a flood of questions, complaints and theories posted on Facebook before and during Labor Day weekend, the city of Oak Harbor published a press release on Tuesday explaining the smell originated from sewage sludge applied onto the 60-acre Municipal Shop off North East 16th Avenue.
Vermont Still Allows Farmers to Spread Contaminated Sludge on Fields
Burlington, VT (11 Sep 2024) - Every spring before he plants corn, and each fall after he harvests it, Lorenzo Whitcomb fertilizes his fields to return nutrients to the soil. The Williston dairy farmer spreads manure from his family's herd of 100 milking cows on many of the 900 acres they farm along the Winooski River. He also uses commercial fertilizers, such as nitrogen and potash. And, for the past decade, Whitcomb has added something to his soil that is both effective and free: treated sewage sludge.
City of Rockmart hosting public meeting over sludge issue
Rockmart, GA (12 Sep 2024) - The City of Rockmart is set to host a meeting about the municipal sludge issue and explain why the city’s byproduct from wastewater processing – along with the City of Cedartown’s – should be allowed to be dumped into the Grady Road Landfill alongside municipal household waste.
‘Forever chemicals’ are being found in compost from sludge made possible by cities’ food waste
Cambridge, MA (13 Sep 2024) - Cambridge has virtually eliminated the risky, widespread and long-lasting group of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from its drinking water supply, for now. But there’s a new worry about the level and impact of PFAS in compost derived from sewage sludge, which could affect how the city disposes of food waste from households and small businesses.
Attleboro sludge landfill overflows, steps taken to prevent pollution
Attleboro, MA (18 Sep 2024) - The wastewater department’s sludge landfill overflowed on Sept. 9 but immediate steps were taken to prevent pollution of wetlands and the Ten Mile River which lay just across a fence line, Wastewater Superintendent Thomas Hayes said. “Due to the severe environmental and public health risk of the overflow, I deemed it necessary to take immediate action to control the situation,” Hayes said. “After speaking with the mayor, the decision was made to engage Luciano Excavation, LLC and to start mobilizing equipment as soon as possible.”
Hadley officials consider rate increase on sewer user fees due to sludge disposal cost
Hadley, MA (22 Sep 2024) - A substantial increase in the cost of disposing sludge from the town’s wastewater treatment plant is prompting Hadley officials to consider hiking sewer user fees, a 10% rate increase that would come only about 18 months after the board previously made adjustments to sewer and water rates in late winter 2023.
Internationally
Scientists filter out opportunity to combat algal blooms with sewage waste
Glasgow, Scotland (2 Sep 2024) - Researchers in Scotland are investigating the potential of converting sewage sludge into a mineral-rich material that could be used to treat water impacted by eutrophication and algal blooms – a phenomenon increasingly affecting lochs and rivers, associated with climate change.
Picture of the Month: From wastewater to sustainable fertiliser
Braunschweig, Germany (2 Sep 2024) - Research project boosts phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge
Under a microscope, they look like colourful pearls glistening in the light. But they are actually small white beads that farmers can use as a mineral fertiliser on their fields. The crystalline phosphorus product struvite is precipitated from nutrient-rich water or material streams in wastewater treatment plants.
Mombasa South marked for new Sh606m sewer plant
Mombasa South, Kenya (1 Sep 2024) - The Mombasa South mainland is set for a Sh606 million sewer treatment plant funded through the French Development Agency AFD and the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), new disclosures showed. The IDA is a development finance institution that offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries.
Wellington Water could face prosecution over stink at Seaview treatment plant
Wellington, New Zealand (3 Sep 2024) - Wellington Water could face prosecution over ongoing odour issues from the Seaview Treatment Plant that have been so bad it resulted in people vomiting. A recent fire in the plant has also added to the problem, resulting in Wellington Water warning the odour could get worse
UP has taken significant strides in managing its urban water and wastewater, but some cities are still showing below-average performance, says assessment by CSE
Lucknow, India (5 Sep 2024) - Uttar Pradesh, with its 762 cities, is undertaking significant initiatives to ensure that its urban spaces are water-secure in the coming years. Under the AMRUT mission, cities are being transformed with infrastructure development, septage management facilities, and lake rejuvenation projects. But is the state ensuring sustainability and optimal utilisation of these projects and initiatives?
First-of-its-kind ‘faecal sludge treatment plant in Amta nears completion’
Bengal, India (7 Sep 2024) - The first-of-its-kind faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) in rural Bengal being developed at Jhamatia Gram Panchayat under Amta II block in Howrah will be ready shortly. Panchayat Samitis of Amta I, Amta II, Udaynarayanpur and Bagnan I blocks have been covered under this project. Local MLA Sukanta Paul accompanied by senior officials from the district administration, local rural body and Unicef which is providing technical expertise for the project visited the site on Friday and expressed satisfaction over the progress of the project. Besides Unicef, Bengaluru-based CDD India is also giving technical assistance for the project.
Harnessed waste heat from cremations, sewage sludge could soon power our homes
Sydney, Australia (9 Sep 2024) - An Australian start-up has completed a series of successful trials of what the team behind it says is a commercially viable electricity engine that runs on waste heat – including a successful “proof of concept” trial at a Victorian crematorium. In time, Andrews said, the engines could be used to heat biological waste such as sewage “sludge”, nutshells, and biowaste from piggeries and abattoirs to more than 400 degrees, and transform it into low-emissions energy.
Producing biogas from sewage
Panay, Philippines (17 Sep 2024) - Let’s explore the fascinating process of converting sewage to biogas. It’s like turning waste into a renewable superhero — green, efficient, and ready to power our world! The Sewage Saga Begins: Imagine a bustling wastewater treatment plant — the backstage of our cities. Here’s where sewage sludge (the leftover gunk) accumulates. But wait! We’re about to give this sludge a makeover.
Partial consent decree signed for wastewater, sewer projects
Tamuning, Guam (19 Sep 2024) - District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood has signed off on the partial consent decree among the United States, Guam Waterworks Authority and the government of Guam, starting the clock for the water utility to complete wastewater- and sewer-related projects. |
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