




NewsBelow are notable news stories from past NEBRA newsletters and NEBRAMail. They are arranged with the most recent news at the top. Complete copies of past NEBRAMails are available here.
07/23/10
For two years, staff at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have been researching ways to measure odors from the variety of solid waste management operations the Department regulates, including biosolids treatment facilities and end use sites. A Report on Ambient Odor Monitoring at Solid Waste Facilities was released in April and is being used in the development of a regulatory system for addressing malodors.
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07/23/10
By Ned Beecher As noted in related articles, microconstituents in biosolids continues to be a hot topic of research. That research is critical. But, as with concerns about other trace contaminants in biosolids, the question is, “What else can be done to address the concern?” When it came to addressing metals in biosolids, once research had begun to identify those that showed up in biosolids at concentrations that had potential significant impacts, industrial pretreatment and pollution prevention programs were strengthened. For microconstituents, which are largely derived from households, a similar solution is “product stewardship.”
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07/23/10
The Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) has just released a new literature review Assessing the Fate and Significance of Microconstituents and Pathogens in Sewage Biosolids - Update of the 2001 WEAO Report on Fate and Significance. Completed for WEAO by Hydromantis, the report builds on and updates a similar WEAO 2001 report. Microconstituents included in the review include endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), synthetic musks, natural and synthetic hormones, PCBs, dioxins, and non-regulated metals, as well as pathogens. The report sets its findings in the context of Ontario’s land application practices, but the literature reviewed – more than 200 published papers since the 2001 report – are from around the continent and overseas.
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06/26/10
In a June 1 order, the U. S. Supreme Court denied a petition for the Court to review the case of Los Angeles et al. v. Kern County et al. The denied petition was one of more than 150 denials in the Court order; only one case was accepted for Court review. “This is not a surprise,” noted James Slaughter of Beveridge and Diamond, part of the legal team involved in the case for Los Angeles. “The Supreme Court takes on very few of the cases brought before it. A denial of cert is not any precedent or disavowal of the merits of our appeal.” According to McClatchy newspapers, Steven Mayer, a lawyer for Kern County, “said he wasn't surprised the Supreme Court declined to hear the challenge, noting that the court 'turns down the overwhelming majority of claims' that are submitted. Last year, the court considered 8,966 petitions and agreed to hear less than 90.” In 2006, Los Angeles and co-plaintiffs successfully obtained an injunction – which still stands - against the implementation of a voter- approved ban (“Measure E”) on land application of imported biosolids in Kern County.
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05/29/10
Savannah was hot, with some sudden squalls, during the WEF annual Residuals and Biosolids Conference last week. More than 600 attendees were attracted by the conference focus on bioenergy, especially that from anaerobic digestion, which dominated the conference sessions (more than half addressed this topic), workshops, and meetings....
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05/29/10
EPA has taken its second major step in regulating greenhouse gases (GHGs) as pollutants....
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05/29/10
Now there is more information available regarding the disposal of pharmaceuticals...
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04/20/10
Biosolids and wastewater - just tools in the sustainability toolbox...
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04/20/10
The 2nd organization in the region - and first in New Hampshire - to have its EMS certified by independent audit!
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04/20/10
Going platinum...
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04/20/10
At town meetings in March...
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04/20/10
First Elgin, now...
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04/20/10
from April 20, 2010 NEBRAMail
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04/20/10
(in part from NBMA)
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04/20/10
Research results are beginning to come in more quickly now regarding the presence and fate of microconstituents in wastewater and biosolids.
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04/20/10
Update on the ongoing legal dispute over Kern County's proposed ban on biosolids recycling...
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04/20/10
from the April 20, 2010 NEBRAMail...
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04/20/10
Odds and ends from the April 20, 2010 NEBRAMail.
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04/20/10
An update from a visit to the NViro facility at Halifax by Ned Beecher.
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04/20/10
A restrictive NH composting bill will have further study.
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04/20/10
Late last year, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) was criticized by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) for its biosolids compost give-away program. Because of the importance of biosolids composting programs in the northeast, NEBRA paid attention...
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04/20/10
Odds and ends of news from the March 2, 2010 edition of NEBRAMail.
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12/17/09
In mid-December, discussion heated up in Belmont, NH regarding the use of biosolids on farmland. The local planning board is considering recommending a ban on biosolids use on land, based on information provided by the local conservation commission. Several news articles and letters to the editors prompted this op-ed response from NEBRA.
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10/27/09
(with information from the Government of Nova Scotia, Kings County Advertiser/NovaNewsNow.com, the Chronicle Herald, and Marc Hébert) The new guidelines come at a time when some local concerns about biosolids land application continue to simmer. In Kings County, members of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network urged a county moratorium on land application. But, instead, the county council decided to ask staff to prepare a report (http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1146137.html)
10/23/09
(from http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/land/nasm/index.php)
On September 18, 2009, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs jointly announced new rules and guidelines for applying non-agricultural source materials (NASM) to farmland. Changes to the management of non-agricultural source materials are designed to strengthen the rules and remove overlapping approval processes for farmers and generators of NASM. The new rules establish consistent standards and requirements across the province which focus on the quality of the material being land-applied, ensuring it meets strict criteria and is beneficial to the soil. The revised regulations will cover all Ontario farms where non-agricultural source material will be applied. NASM includes yard waste, fruit and vegetable peels, food processing waste, pulp and paper biosolids and sewage biosolids. Proper spreading of these materials on farmland returns essential nutrients to the soil to help foster new plant growth. It allows the soil to breathe and hold water, decreasing water runoff and soil erosion and increasing overall water conservation. Soils that have good organic matter content are easier to work and plant roots can find water and nutrients more easily. New requirements focus on the quality of the material being land applied, building on standards that already exist. They include greater consideration of alternatives and cover all the agricultural land where non-agricultural source material will be applied in Ontario. The requirements are detailed in the regulation. A plain language guide to the regulatory requirements will be ready in late fall. The requirements will take effect in two stages. Stage 1 changes will take effect immediately upon filing of the regulation and consists of general requirements that establish the framework. The general requirements are needed to transition to the requirements of the new system for managing NASM which take effect at stage 2 on January 1, 2011. Transition periods are also outlined within the regulation to assist in moving from the current framework of approvals to the new requirements. Note: This month, Toronto released its Biosolids Master Plan, which will provide guidance on the city’s biosolids management program up to 2025. See details at http://www.toronto.ca/wes/techservices/involved/wws/biosolids/index.htm.
08/27/09
U. S. EPA is proposing to create a volunteer Registry of Recoverable Waste Energy Sources that will help identify and prioritize development of these potential energy sources. Wastewater treatment facilities with un- or under-utilized digester gas or heat from incineration are potential energy sources that could be identified in the Registry, if they choose to be. Being part of the Registry may lead to the ability to participate in government incentives aimed at getting these renewable energy sources online.
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08/27/09
The U. S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) – once known as the Office of Solid Waste – is in the process of defining sewage sludge and biosolids as a solid waste – at least in some instances. If the proposed change in definition is adopted – which now seems likely – the Office of Air and Radiation will likely begin regulating sewage sludge incinerators (SSIs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 129, rather than Section 112. Section 129 applies to all materials defined as solid wastes.
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08/27/09
On July 31st, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making it easier for consumers to identify biobased products through the release of its proposed BioPreferredSM labeling rule. USDA's BioPreferred labeling program, published in the Federal Register, intends to create a product label that would appear on qualifying BioPreferred biobased products. Some biosolids products may be able to participate in this new program.
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