KMD’s Recent Comments

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  I don't see how you can call her article thoroughly researched when she made no attempt to talk to farmers outside of Kern County, and only talked to ONE treatment plant person. 

  You are welcome to continue to criticize biosolids management practices, but the truth still stands that someone has to do something about our society's waste, and wastewater treatment managers are doing the best they can with what they've got.  When our society finally gets its head out of the sand, we'll get some change.  But the fault should not be laid on the wastewater industry.  We have met the enemy, and it is us.

  On Sludge, farmer's friend or toxic slime? posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago 18 Responses

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  I think a dose of reality is required here.  How exactly are we going to separate urine, feces and industrial inputs?  We would have to completely re-do the entire infrastructure of the country, have different pipes carrying different wastes to different places.  Good luck finding trillions of dollars to pay for it.  Are you willing to have your front lawn dug up to accomodate two different sewage pipes, not to mention every street under which a sewage pipe runs?

  You also say that drugs can be broken down.  Many drugs are resistant to breakdown, and different technologies are required for different drugs.  How much do you think that will cost?  Some drugs are just converted to different forms and because they are no longer detected in their original form, only appear to have been removed. 

  On Businesses struggle to profit from sewage sludge posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago 7 Responses

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  This is the sort of article from Grist that frustrates me.  Though the author makes an attempt to get the other side of the story, her bias shines through.  She neglects to report that they did the most extensive study they have ever done on anything before they set biosolids regulations.  They set regulations for a farmer and his family who applies biosolids and whose entire diet is made up of biosolids-fertilized crops, and then they added a margin of safety on top of that for unknowns.  She also doesn't mention that industrial influent into wastewater treatment plants is highly regulated; they are not allowed to put whatever they want down the drain.  They must treat to remove toxic contaminants like mercury before their effluent is released into municipal sewers.  The author also made no effort to find other farmers that are using biosolids.  Kern County is the exception to the norm.  How about heading to King County, Washington and talking to the farmers using biosolids in Eastern Washington?

  Incineration might seem a great way to get rid of biosolids, but it just creates yet another problem: greenhouse gas emissions and high energy costs.  Land application at least gets farmers to stop using chemical fertilizers.

  You are welcome to be uncomfortable with the concept of biosolids recycling, but as Ms. Price notes, we are a society of fecaphobes.  Our society is happy to criticize those of us in the industry who are doing the best we can to deal with the situation we are given, but society is also completely unwilling to consider their own personal impacts on the environment.  How many hair products does each of us use?  What are the ingredients in the hand soap you use?  Did you know the average senior citizen takes 40 different kinds of medication?  Do we really need all these things, and are there better choices we can use?  We as a society are also unwilling to pay to treat the waste we produce to remove the contaminants we gleefully add to the water.  How many people are willing to pay an extra $100 a month or more on their sewer bill to clean wastewater to pristine levels? 

   

  On Sludge, farmer's friend or toxic slime? posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago 18 Responses