Planning commission votes down measure prohibiting application of biosolids

WASILLA — After postponing action at last month's meeting, the Mat-Su Planning Commission voted down a resolution prohibiting the land application of biosolids within the borough. The action came at Monday evening's regular commission meeting.

Resolution 17-15 recommended adoption of an ordinance prohibiting biosolid application failed on a 6-1 vote with District 3 commissioner Patricia Chesbro in favor of adoption. The commission tabled action at its April 17 meeting after receiving public comment on both sides of the issue. Those against included Palmer City Manager Nathan Wallace and a state Department of Corrections spokesman.

At the April 17 session, Wallace informed the commission that the city's septage holding ponds are not located inside the city limits and the manager asked if the commission passed the resolution banning application, it exempt those lands. The DOC official noted that if Goose Creek Correctional Facility would incur an additional $75,000 annually to truck its septage to a licensed landfill. The byproduct is currently applied to a nearby, permitted, hayfield.

Biosolids are the remnants of treated human sewage from wastewater treatment plants. The product, which has been determined safe by the US Food and Drug Administration, has become a commonplace fertilizer application in the Lower 48 and around the world.

On the other side of the fence, farmers and those concerned about heavy metals, prescription drugs flushed down toilets and as one person commenting on the topic said Monday night "a whole world of contaminants" that are showing up in soils where biosolids are applied. Other concerns brought up by those against the usage include the fact that soil and soil conditions in Alaska are much different than those Outside and that biosolid breakdown is a much slower process this far north.

Several farmers spoke at both the April 17 and Monday's meeting. All were against allowing application. The main point made by those who spoke is that since almost all products grown in the Valley are sold regionally, their main selling point is that they are free of pesticides with most meeting organically grown standards.

About a half-dozen individuals spoke under the public comments portion of the agenda at both commission meetings. Commission chairwoman Colleen Vague informed everyone at both sessions that if they had addressed the group on April 17, they would not be allowed to do so again. Following the hearing, Chesbro offered an amendment to place a moratorium on the issue — instead of banning or allowing — until such a time that research and data proves application safe. The amendment died for lack of a second.

District 2 commissioner Thomas Healy made a point before the vote. He said that federal and state guidelines allow for the application of the byproduct. Because of the large amount of unknowns and unclear answers involving biosolids, Healy said he felt it wasn't in the commission's scope to make a decision and that it is premature from both the borough and state to make a decision.

"We're not the body (to regulate application)," Healy said.

When Vague called for the question, District 7 commissioner Vern Rauchenstein objected putting the issue to a vote where the 6-1 decision came down. The borough assembly referred the issue to the commission for 60 days back on March 21 after its introduction by Assemblyman Jim Sykes. Although the commission voted against prohibition, the matter isn't final. The group's recommendation can be approved or ignored by the Mat-Su assembly. Any final action on the topic will also be decided at the borough assembly level.

There were two other legislative matters for the commission to address. It approved Resolution 17-17 on the recommendation of borough staff the reinstatement of the Farm Loop Community Council. Also receiving a thumbs up was approval of Resolution 17-16 which approved Ordinance 17-035 amending the borough's flood damage prevention.

The ordinance requires by code that any new construction in the borough's special flood hazard areas, include a two-foot freeboard requirement. In layman's terms, the lowest habitable level of a structure must be at least two feet above the 100-year flood zone.