THSCC Forums

Not sure if this is the place for this thread, but I read with interest the email I received yesterday (I guess) regarding clandestine-and CRIMINAL-dumping of "wastewater sludge"... uhhh, how about SEWAGE, on the fields at Laurinburg Airport.

Anyone with a functioning olfactory organ had to smell that stuff for the last 5 years, at least. Now I know why. But apparently the locals haven't figured out that this s**t's been going on for a long time, not just the one brief period mentioned in the article.
For those not on the listserv, a truncated version:
From the Fayetteville Observer

Laurinburg-Maxton Airport official to seek inquiry
By Jennifer Calhoun, Staff writer

The former mayor of Laurinburg said she plans to request an inquiry into last year's (last YEARS???? How about last DECADE'S???) sludge dump at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport.

Ann Slaughter, who was appointed to the airport's board last week, said the public never got a good explanation of the incidents surrounding the illegal dump that cost the airport's board nearly $200,000 in fines, legal fees and cleanup costs.

A former employee of the airport's wastewater treatment plant is suspected by the State Bureau of Investigation of intentionally dumping an undetermined amount of sludge into wetlands over a period of several months. The employee, Gary Arnett, left the airport but was never formally disciplined by the airport's director or the board.

The SBI has completed its investigation of the incident, and the matter was referred to the special prosecution division of the state Attorney General's Office. No charges have been filed.

Slaughter, whose first board meeting will be July 31, said she planned to ask for a history of the incident at her first meeting..."

Gotta love it...

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Brad

It explains the smell out there in August ...

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

How much bio-waste could the entire airport there be producing? Doesn't seem like there's enough people around to do much damage to me. *shrug*


--Donnie

Sludge, more technically referred to as biosolids, that is produced by wastewater treatment plants are a common fertilyzer applied to farms/crops throughout the world. Much of the food we eat is fertilyzed via this method. So, just because you are smelling the sewage/biosolids does not mean there is a problem because it all has a clear odor, even when properly treated.

When biosolids are properly treated before land application there is rarely a problem. We haul multiple tankers a day to farms who request our biosolids. Of course, it undegoes testing and must comply with state permits. BTW, the state is rather aggressive in their enforcement, which is a good thing. The situation described in the paper about Laurinburg is clearly *criminal* (both legally and morally) when sludge/biosolids are land applied either without treatment or being inadequately treated. I expect to see Mr. Arnett prosecuted and will be disappointed if he is not.

Just my 1.5 cents.

Eric

Sludge is hardly as offensive as it sounds. It is not raw sewage, but the remaining solids after the digesters have finished destroying the organics, it has minimal odor.
It is often mixed into water and sprayed onto an approved field where there is enough porosity to absorb the water. Problem here was it was dumped into unapproved wetlands and not monitored which is against epa rules. Even wetlands can be approved receivers, they actually built engineered wetlands behind Falls Village Plaza to receive their minitreatment plant sludge. Some sewage treatment plants sell their sludge to be dried, heat sterilized and ground into fertilizer under the brand "Millorganite".

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SPIN or WIN!
there's no glory for going slow.

It also gets hauled away. My neighbor works for a company that "dewaters" and what they do is pump the sludge (solids)out of hog lagoons, chemical tanks and ponds etc.

It's a dirty job but....

Mmmm, Milorganite. Good stuff comes from sludge.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.