Office of Outreach

October 4, 2000
Re: Biosolids use in St. Mary's County, Maryland
Title: Issues and concerns relating to the application of biosolids to agricultural lands in St. Mary's County - an open paper prepared by Bob Lewis. Biosolids website - www.erols.com/taylew

Overview:

In 1999,

• St. Mary's County produced 1930 wet tons of class B biosolids,
• St. Mary's County exported 1930 wet tons to Virginia landfills,
• St. Mary's County imported 60,252 wet tons mostly from the Back River plant in Baltimore, some from out-of-state,

Most of this is applied to land for agricultural purposes, most importantly as a fertilizer that is free to the farmer, but also as a soil conditioner that will hold significant amounts of water through dry periods thus yielding greater harvest per acre.

Environmentalism:
Recycling of waste is an important aspect of environmentalism, that is, as long as the recycling does not produce negative conditions, such as compromising the environment's health and safety directly or indirectly.

Concerns:

• Why does St. Mary's County lead the State in agricultural applications of biosolids?
• Is it too much? Should we accept more than our share?
• Can we rely on human tolerance levels currently enforced by the State on five known toxins; copper, cadmium, lead, nickel, and zinc?
• Is it enough to just analyze soil contents for these five?
• Should we monitor other elements such as chromium, arsenate, dioxins, and PCBs?
• Are periodic analyses at treatment plants sufficient enough to ensure consistency in analysis of each truckload of biosolids or could toxin spikes occur?
• Since, in the past, many documented cases of health problems have been attributed to biosolid applications to lawns, nurseries, and agriculture, can we be sure that the current biosolids are safe, application rates are merited, and application methods pose no threat?
• Is runoff an issue?
• Is infiltration to aquifers an issue?
• Should runoff testing occur for each permit on successive applications?
• Should runoff testing occur for other elements than nitrogen and phosphorus?
• Is there sufficient oversight of industry and specifically oversight of the applications to land?
• Does the County have the infrastructure to support this industry long-term?
• Is there a need to supplement County coffers?
• Can the public be assured that food crops and tobacco are not grown?
• Is there a need for specific labeling of fruits, vegetables, grains, oils, and meats when grown from biosolid treated land?
• Should the County/State limit or prohibit biosolid applications in certain zoning districts or other locale(s)?
• Should the County/State limit or prohibit the subdivision of land (for some time period?) after biosolids are applied?
• Should the County require a local permit for applications?
• What are the cumulative effects of biosolid applications, chemical farming practices, and any other environment conditions present?
• Since the EPA and MDE will not say that biosolids are "totally safe" and have set "human tolerance" levels for allowable toxins, is the level of risk acceptable?
• If biosolids are unsafe to dump at sea, where dilution would be greatest, is it really safe to apply biosolids to agriculture?

©Copyright 2000 Potomac River Association, Inc.