DEC seeks comment on biosolids plan

POINT MACKENZIE — About 1,900 dry tons of treated Seward sewage sludge may soon cover a Point MacKenzie farm field.

The treated sludge will come from two treatment ponds in the city of Seward, according to Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Environmental Health Solid Waste Program Regional Manager Lori Aldrich. It’s the first such disposal in the region, Aldrich said.

DelRay Hobbs, whose hayfield will host the material, said the material adds nitrates and phosphates to fertilize his fields, about 9 miles north of Port MacKenzie.

While the disposal of biosolids on farm fields might seem relatively novel in Southcentral Alaska, it’s fairly common practice in other states, Aldrich said.

“In the Lower 48, this is one of the most common uses of biosolids,” she said. “This is the first time it’s happened in my region (Southcentral) since I’ve been here.”

Instead, sewage from cities with water treatment plants is typically taken to Anchorage for incineration.

Biosolids are what many people think of when they think of human sewage, Aldrich said. According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, biosolids are divided into two classifications: Class A biosolids, very strictly regulated materials which contain no pathogens; and Class B biosolids which have been treated, but which contain some pathogens, the website says.

Biosolids aren’t dangerous, according to the website, though it does note potentially odious (and odorous) side effect.

“Biosolids may have their own distinctive odor depending on the type of treatment it has been through,” the site reads in part. “Some biosolids may have only a slight musty, ammonia odor. Others have a stronger odor that may be offensive to some people. Much of the odor is caused by compounds containing sulfur and ammonia, both of which are plant nutrients.”

The firm involved, Indiana-based Merrell Brothers, has a national reach, and has managed biosolid disposal projects in North Pole and Dillingham in the past, according to its website. The company has agreed to adhere to borough property standards, including set backs, and has conducted adequate study of the watershed in the surrounding areas, Aldrich said. They also have pledged to keep people off of the property for 30 days, Aldrich said.

Seward officials contacted the firm after the Kenai Peninsula Borough imposed new landfill fees on dump usage there, according to Dustin Smith, chief development officer at Merrell Brothers. Merrell Brothers won the contract as the lowest bid, Smith said.

“In this case, the city of Seward gets the cost savings, the borough’s landfill gets an extension of its life, the farmer gets free fertilizer, and we are blessed to provide the service,” he wrote, in an email.

While the amount of waste involved in the Seward project is large, it’s not the largest-scale project the company has managed, Smith said.

The field where the material will be deposited grows feed for bison, Hobbs said. His initial concerns were for safety, but company officials eventually convinced him it would benefit his 560-acre farm, Hobbs said. The field where the fertilizer is deposited will grow hay, which in turn will be fed to buffalo, so human food likely won’t come into direct contact with the biosolids, Hobbs added.

“I first wanted to make sure it’s safe and everything,” he said. “After they proved it was safe, I went along with it.”

People wishing to comment on the proposed biosolid disposal may submit comments via fax at 907-269-7600 or via email at lori.aldrich@alaska.gov. The public comment period ends March 3.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.