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Pubic Hearing on Land Application of Sewage Sludge ScheduledThe public hearing will be the first state-held public hearing on the land application permitting process of sewage sludge in North Carolina.April 22, 2008 ALAMANCE COUNTY NC NEWS -- A public hearing to address the permitting process of spreading of sewage sludge in North Carolina will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The public hearing will be the first state-held public hearing on land application of sewage sludge. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality (DENR/DWQ) will hold the public hearing on the land application of sewage sludge on farmlands in six counties. The hearing concerns a permit renewal for the City of Burlington to spread sewage sludge from its two wastewater treatment plants on farmlands in six counties in North Carolina:
The hearing will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Alamance Community College Auditorium, 1247 Jimmie Kerr Road, Graham, NC. A copy of the draft permit and public hearing information can be reviewed at the Division of Water Quality, Aquifer Protection Section, Land Application Unit, 2728 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27604, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or can be viewed along with public hearing information at the DENR/DWQ website: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/lau/PublicHearings.html Earlier this year, Local members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) and other citizens working on sewage sludge issues requested the hearing. Sue Dayton, BREDL's coordinator for the NC Healthy Communities program, praised the state's decision to hold a hearing, adding that the hearing concerning the City of Burlington's permit was long overdue, in part because the city had been operating on an expired permit for close to four years. BREDL coordinator, Sue Dayton said, "The current system used by the state makes it impossible for meaningful public involvement, there is no system of checks and balances to ensure that land application regulations and guidelines are being met, and there is a lack of communication between state regulators and county governments concerning land application of sewage sludge. Counties have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their citizens, and this includes protection of our surface waters and precious farmlands." The City of Burlington disposes of sewage sludge from its two wastewater treatment plants in five counties in North Carolina, Alamance, Orange, Chatham, Caswell and Randolph. In 2006 the City of Burlington's applier, Synagro, sprayed over 11 million gallons of sludge on farmlands:
Sludge is the solids and semi-solids from industrial, medical and household sewage wastes that are separated from wastewater before the effluent is processed for release into rivers and streams. Sludge is sprayed on farmlands as an economical and convenient way to get rid of sewage sludge. Wastewater treatment plants supply sludge to farmers to be used as a fertilizer. However, sludge contains thousands of compounds that are not completely destroyed by conventional treatment methods at wastewater treatment plants. These include pathogens, heavy metals, industrial pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and toxic chemicals found in personal care products. Many people who live next to properties being sprayed have experienced adverse health effects from illnesses they attribute to sewage sludge. In many counties across North Carolina the disposal of sewage in has reached problematic proportions due to population growth versus the upgrading of existing disposal technologies. North Carolina citizens, especially in Alamance, Chatham, Caswell, Orange and Randolph counties are encouraged to attend this meeting with an open mind to address sewage disposal issues taking place within their county. For more information on BREDL activities visit www.bredl.org Published by: # # # |
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