From Sam Hadeed, shadeed@wef.org. Larch Corrections Center in WA State Joins NBP EMS Program. Larch's Wastewater Treatment Plant in Yacolt, WA has become the 85^th agency/facility to join the NBP EMS program. The Corrections Center was constructed in 1997 when Larch underwent expansion to accommodate an offender population of 400 male offenders. Since commencement of wastewater treatment operations in 1997, James Oja, Waste Treatment Plant Operator 2, has been at the helm.The WA State corrections center which is located at15314 NE Dole Valley Road, Yacolt. WA  98675 produces 1.75 tons of biosolids per year. LarchCorrectionsCenter's Maintenance Department (a 4-man inmate crew), in partnership with ClarkCollege, provides support, materials, and testing for offenders who qualify to study for Wastewater Treatment Operator licensing. Two offenders on the crew have secured their operator licenses in this manner.  

To view their website, visit:  http://www.doc.wa.gov/stories/swstories/LCCwastewateraward.htm. For more information on the NBP EMS program, visit: www.biosolids.org.

From Northwest Indiana Times, 1-25-06. Sludge Removal Met Standards in East Chicago. The city's utility director said the city's removal of sludge from the water department didn't violate any state environmental regulations.Al Velez, East Chicago's utility director, said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management looked into a report the city removed 4,628 tons of sludge from city property last summer.Amy Hartsock, a public information officer for IDEM, said Wednesday Robert Lamprecht, an investigator for her agency, looked into the matter and didn't find any violations. IDEM regulates the disposal of biosolids.Velez said the sludge, 4,628 tons moved by Jewel G. Harris Sr.'s Enterprise Trucking and Waste Hauling Inc. at a cost of $104,072, was clean dirt from the water filtration plant, not sewage sludge containing human waste, from the waste water plant.Velez said confusion over the sludge's composition arose because he was discussing both the water filtration sludge and a separate federal investigation of sewage sludge hauling during the 1990s under the administration of former Mayor Robert Pastrick.

City Councilman Anthony Copeland, D-at large, complained about the sludge hauling earlier this month, claiming the job was improper because the city didn't submit the work for competitive bidding.Velez said the work done by Harris' trucking company didn't have to be put up for competitive bidding."It was a service contract, so there is no bidding on it," he said. Velez added that other contractors have told him the city got the work done for a bargain.

From Sam Hadeed, shadeed@wef.org. WEF Issues Prion Fact Sheet and White Paper. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has just posted a fact sheet and white paper on topic of prions in the Science & Technology Resource Center (Biosolids submenu) on its web page – www.wef.org. The fact sheet and white paper were developed by the Outreach & Education Subcommittee of the WEF Residuals and Biosolids Committee.

What Are Prions?
Prions are small folded protein molecules containing no genetic information, which are made up of amino acids, the essential building blocks of all proteins.  Prion-like proteins that are found naturally in many (perhaps all) plants and animals are folded differently than normal proteins due to slight amino acid changes in certain regions of the protein.  The term prion is often used to refer to such abnormally folded proteins (also referred to as “proteinaceous infectious particlesâ€�), when they have the ability to affect other proteins, causing them to change from the normal form to the abnormal form.  In their normal, non-infectious state, prions are believed to be involved in cell-to-cell communications and other important cell functions.  Throughout this fact sheet the word “Prionâ€� is used to indicate the abnormal, infectious form of prions.

ISSUE:
Can the potential presence of prions in land applied biosolids result in food chain contamination with the subsequent development of animal and human disease?

ANSWER:
Based on a review of available information and assessments made to date, it is unlikely that significant levels of prions enter the wastewater collection system and the risk of prion transmission directly to animals and indirectly to humans from biosolids management and effluent land application is practically zero.  The following reviews current understanding of prions and potential risks of infection due to the land application of biosolids.

To view the prion fact sheet and white paper, visit: http://www.wef.org/ScienceTechnologyResourceCenter/Biosolids/.

From Greenwire, 1-27-06.  Enviros say EPA Performance Track program is Rewarding Polluters. T hirty-one environmental groups are criticizing U.S. EPA's Performance Track initiative that they say offers regulatory incentives for companies that violate environmental laws. At issue is the National Environmental Performance Track, which was launched in 2000 with the aim of recognizing and rewarding companies that "consistently exceed regulatory requirements, work closely with their communities, and excel in protecting the environment and public health." But of the program's 371 participants, 14 have violated one or more federal environmental laws in at least six of the last 12 quarters, environmentalists told EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson in a letter Wednesday.

The letter also cites hazardous air emissions from at least six Performance Track pulp and paper plants that either increased or declined less than the industry-wide average between 1999 and 2003. Written by former EPA regulatory chief Eric Schaeffer, who is now with the Environmental Integrity Project, the letter was signed by representatives of U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, National Parks and Conservation Association, San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Project, Environmental Coalition of Mississippi, MaryPirg, Iowa Farmers Union, Clean Air Watch and several other groups.

The letter echoed a critique of the program written and sent to EPA last November by John Walke, the clean air director of the National Resources Defense Council. Walke said he discussed his concerns with the program last week with EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance, Grant Nakayama. Walke's 14-page letter said the program had "a worrisome and discouraging fixation" with industry incentives, deregulation and streamlining inspections. He said he was alerted to the lax standards by his former colleagues at EPA. "People don't pick up the phone and call me when things are going swimmingly over there," he said in an interview. Walke added he was also concerned about a symposium in Denver this week that was restricted to state and EPA officials who discussed, among other things, strategies for implementing Performance Track-type programs and granting EPA credit for "innovative state compliance programs."

EPA issued a statement on the program this week. "Performance Track is a national program developed to recognize facilities and corporations that show their commitment to the environment by going beyond regulatory compliance to better protect human health and the environment," it said. "All members must have an EPA-supported environmental management system in place, demonstrate continued environmental improvements, report measurable results and have a record of sustained compliance."

From Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 1-28-06. Farm Owner, Operator Appealing Sludge Decision.  Lower Towamensing board erred ordering its removal, they say.The owner and the operator of a Lower Towamensing Township farm where tons of sewage sludge and animal waste have been kept for months appealed a township zoning board decision ordering him to remove the pile. Landowner Barbara Walck and farm operator Edgar Lorah are appealing a December order to halt the stockpiling of 100 tons of sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, because they say it is a permitted agricultural land use.Lorah, who leases the property from Walck, has stored sludge from the Valley Forge Sewer Authority and animal waste from Hatfield meats at the Walck farm on Lower Smith Gap Road since spring. He planned to use the material as a fertilizer. The sludge pile, as estimated by the township zoning officer, is 40 feet wide, 30 feet long and 8 feet high. The pile has not been removed.

Attorney Stacey Morgan of Lancaster filed the appeal in Carbon County Court on behalf of Lorah and Walck.In the appeal, Morgan wrote the zoning board erred in its decision. The township zoning ordinance permits the storage of manure on properties in the residential-1 zone as long as the pile is at least 400 feet from the property line. The ordinance also states that agricultural activity cannot be prohibited simply because a neighbor takes issue with the smell, sound or sight of it.Morgan said the pile is within the limits outlined in the ordinance.

The zoning board said in its decision that ''the stockpiling of sewage sludge cannot be considered agriculture or cultivation of the soil. It is simply the stockpiling of solid waste, which is not a permitted use in the R-1 district.'' Morgan said in the court filing that Lorah is subject to the Nutrient Management Act and that the township's ordinances cannot override the state law, which permits treated animal waste and sewage sludge storage.''Each individual board member has stepped outside his role as a member of the zoning hearing board and acted or reacted, instead, in response to perceived public pressure or for individual and/or personal reasons,'' Morgan wrote.

The zoning board said the Nutrient Management Act requires a management plan for operators of animal farms, not those who grow produce or vegetation. Lorah has grown hay and corn on the land, not raised livestock. The board said the act does not apply to Lorah.The sludge pile was brought to the attention of township officials by residents of a nearby mobile home park who said the odor was so horrible in the summer they suffered breathing problems and said they could not enjoy the outdoors.Park resident Robert Wetzel said the odor was bad in the summer. Now that it's cold a crust has formed on the pile and it doesn't smell, he said.''It was terrible. You could not go out of your house and sit out here,'' Wetzel said. ''Where are the people's minds that are allowing this stuff to be dumped?''

From North CountyTimes (Murrieta, CA), 1-25-06.  Residents Upset with Park Sludge.  Piles of treated sewage sludge at the Los AlamosHillsSportsPark are waiting to be spread on future playing fields. But several residents said Tuesday they don't want the sewage waste ---- and its potential health problems.County officials, responding to a resident's complaint, tested the piles at the sports park and found the sludge appears to be a type acceptable for use on playing fields under county ordinances.Years ago the county banned use of a lesser-treated form of the sludge, which is the byproduct of sewage treatment, but permits the "Class A-EQ" type, which is what was found at the Los Alamos park, county Supervising Environmental Health Specialist John Watkins said Monday.

Class A-EQ sludge has been treated to the point that 99.9 percent of disease-causing bacteria have been removed and can only be used in certain areas such as farm land. Another type of sludge that is not treated as vigorously, so-called Class B, is banned in RiversideCounty. Murrieta city officials said Tuesday they were not aware the fertilizer piles were treated sewage and will find out more about the product before they allow it to be mixed with the soil and spread on fields at the park, which is still under construction. The sludge contains 56 percent wood shavings and 43 percent biosolids, according to a data sheet from the manufacturer, Texas-based Synagro. Synagro, which has a plant between Corona and Lake Elsinore, refers to the product as a soil nutrient. Residents critical of sludge say the processing does not take everything out of the sewage.

Tests done in December by a Watsonville lab on that batch of sludge showed it included 4 milligrams of arsenic, 6 milligrams of cadmium, 31 milligrams of chromium, 1 milligram of mercury and 14 milligrams of lead per kilogram. The material also contains trace amounts of fecal coliform bacteria and salmonella.The health risk is minimal with the heavier-treated sludge, but it is there, said Oladele Ogunseitan, professor of environmental health at UC Irvine."I would not advise putting biosolids in areas where children are likely to have access, due to their typical 'hand-to-mouth' behavior," Ogunseitan said Tuesday.If children ingest the sludge, they would likely get diarrhea, he said. In addition, biosolids may be risky because of the potential for concentrations of toxic metals, Ogunseitan said. The city should also avoid putting the sludge in areas where it would likely be blown into nearby neighborhoods, he said.

Some residents of Murrieta and surrounding communities say the risk is too great. "It's a general health concern," Murrieta resident Robert Covin said Tuesday.Covin said he doesn't understand why Murrieta would use sludge when it can use cleaner dirt and nutrients.Lisa Engels, who recently moved from Murrieta to Temecula, said Tuesday she's disappointed in her former hometown. "I'm just sick that the city would allow sludge to be dumped where children are going to play," Engels said.

Murrieta Deputy City Manager Jim Holston said he was not aware that the soil nutrient the city planned to spread on the field contained human waste."We have stopped the installation until we verify it's safe," Holston said.He said several tons of the nutrient is currently in more than 50 piles at the Los Alamos Hills Sports Park and will not be spread until more is learned about its components.The county's Department of Environmental Health approved the use of the Synagro product at the park, Holston said. The only condition the county had is that it cannot be used within 500 feet of a residence or school ---- but that is related to the smell of the nutrient, he said."If I find something nasty in it, I'm not going to put it on the site," Holston said. Janine Matelko, who lives in Menifee, said that the sludge is not just a concern for residents of Murrieta. When there is sludge on Murrieta sports fields, the region is affected because children from neighboring areas have away games where they may play each other on fields in Murrieta, Matelko said.

From Hampton Roads, VA Daily Press, 1-27-06. Sludge Safety Challenged in Surry, VA. Some residents are worried about what is in the sewage sludge being spread in local forests. County officials want experts to explain what was in thousands of tons of sewage sludge slung into forestland in northern Surry County last summer and if it can harm people.The Virginia Department of Health has received numerous complaints from Surry residents about the sludge, which was dumped last year on about 1,000 acres in the Claremont area of the county. They've complained about health concerns, the nauseating stench and runoff into ravines and a nearby pond that empties into the James River.

Heated discussions about sludge have dominated the past two Surry County Board of Supervisors meetings."There is something so graphic seeing sludge coating the trees and piles of that stuff on the land," said Tim Jones, who represents Dendron on the Board of Supervisors. "It arouses fear and suspicion."Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is used by farmers as fertilizer. It faces increasing scrutiny in Virginia and nationwide from scientists and citizens who want more tests to find out if the sludge is safe.

Increasing reports statewide about skin irritations, burning eyes, allergies and even more severe health problems from residents who live close to land where sludge is being applied triggered several bills in the General Assembly this year. One calls for keeping out-of-state sludge out of Virginia. In Surry County, for example, the sludge comes from treatment plants in metropolitan areas in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C."I don't really like the idea that sewage from New York and Maryland is being dumped in our neighborhood," Jones said. "And we have to deal with the discomforts."

A state investigation found in October that state and federal agencies do a poor job of making sure that sewage sludge is spread according to state and federal regulations.After several Surry residents complained, officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality tested runoff water on the land and didn't find that the nutrients and heavy metals exceeded federal standards."So far we have not found water-quality problems that we can contribute to the biosolids application," said Mark Alling, a regional office water monitor and pollution manager with the department.

The government asks its agencies such as the DEQ to test for 10 elements, including heavy metals such as lead and mercury.While DEQ officials didn't find violations, scientists argue that the department needs to test for more pollutants. "You have a lot of different chemicals out there and you test for 10 of them? What about the other 90,000?" said Robert Hale, a scientist with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. "Does this mean the other ones are not there? I can't tell you if it's safe because I don't know what's in it."

In 2002, the federal Environmental Protection Agency admitted that sludge and its health effects needed more research.In 2004, the Houston-based Synagro Technologies Inc., one of the nation's largest sludge haulers, began spreading sludge on about 100 acres in Surry County. Last year the permit increased to nearly 4,000 acres. So far Synagro has dumped 5,362 tons on 886 acres in the Claremont area of the county, owned by the timber company Sussex Surry LLC. "Crap by any other name is still crap, and rural Surry County is being crapped on by the state Health Department, the EPA and the DEQ," said Surry resident Helen Eggleston.

While sludge sparked a public outcry last year in Isle of Wight County, where five farmers applied for a similar permit and haven't yet received it, the permit process had smooth sailing in Surry County.The health department did not receive a single comment from residents or county officials."There was just little interest in the sludge," said Cal Sawyer, director of the division of wastewater engineering with the state Health Department.Surry County hopes now to have its sludge ordinances and a county-paid monitor in place this spring. The Board of Supervisors will have a sludge information meeting sometime in February, officials said."The people in our county were not aware what was going on," Jones said.

From Gloucester County, NJ Times, 1-30-06.  From Wastewater to Drinking Water.  LOGAN TWP. -- Forget turning water into wine. Here, the municipal utilities authority is on the verge of turning wastewater into drinkable water to replenish South Jersey's aquifers. It will be the first community in the northeast to do so.  According to MUA Executive Director Gary Whalen, the MUA will produce some 0.75 mgd of "pristine, pure" -- water that will exceed current water quality regulations. Whalen added that the average household uses about 220 gallons a day, which means the water produced here could potentially serve an additional 340 homes daily in South Jersey. "The state sets restrictions in South Jersey for how much water can be withdrawn from the local aquifers," said Whalen. "Right now, the local water companies cannot withdraw any more water from the aquifers."

The water purified here will be used to replenish the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system, which means the state would allow water companies such as Aqua New Jersey and Penns Grove to draw more water from the aquifer. The companies would pay the MUA to use the water."We're not sure how much we'll be charging yet," said Whalen. "I'll have a better idea of that in about six months. We're just looking to break even, though."The project was made possible through a $4.1 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection.  Following New Jersey's record-breaking drought in 2002, the state initiated a call for water reuse.

Representatives from the DEP did not return calls for comment.The grant was a two-thirds matching grant, with the MUA putting up the other $2 million needed for the project. Whalen said this money came from the MUA's Future Growth Fund.Whalen said that if everything goes as planned, the facility will be up and running within the next 18 months.

From NACWA Headquarters.  NACWA Releases Whole Effluent Toxicity White Paper to Address Utility Permit Issues. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) released its Whole Effluent Toxicity NPDES Permit Testing and Limitations for Public Agencies white paper last week to help guide clean water facilities in navigating the often complex arena of whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing in a specific clean water agency permit situation. This tool will help public agencies formulate appropriate permit conditions when negotiating with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) authorities and to build an administrative record to support reasonable WET testing permit provisions. Key issues discussed in the white paper include, but are not limited to, distinctions among WET test endpoints, test method flexibility, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), frequency of WET testing, and concerns about the relationship between WET test results and enforcement actions. Significantly, the white paper also provides suggested NPDES permit language and critiques the language currently being used by permitting authorities.

The white paper is an important step in NACWA’s long-term advocacy on WET-related issues and exemplifies how the Association’s legal and regulatory advocacy work in tandem. The white paper builds on the vital experiences the Association gained via its legal advocacy on behalf of WET issues, most notably via the December, 2004 Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision in Edison Electric Institute, et al v. EPA). Although the test methods were upheld in this case, the Court provided valuable input on proper and improper uses of WET methods which inform much of the technical discussion in the document. For more information, contact NACWA at 202-833-2672.