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r JAN 25 1994 <br />BOOK 91 FACE 5S6 <br />Commissioner Eggert commented that a number of people from <br />Gifford are concerned about sludge being dumped at a site in North <br />Gifford. She stressed that even if sludge spreading is safe, <br />people do not always perceive it as being safe. <br />Mr. Nason responded that the owner of the property in Gifford <br />where the sludge was being dumped asked the City of Vero Beach to <br />stop spreading sludge at that location. In fact, the City is not <br />currently spreading sludge anywhere in the county. Mr. Nason then <br />introduced Mr. Dan Click, an environmental engineer with 27 years' <br />experience and an employee of Montgomery Watson America, Inc., a <br />division of Montgomery Watson, Inc., which is a multi -national firm <br />that deals exclusively in water and sewer matters. Mr. Nason <br />explained that Montgomery Watson America, Inc., has just completed <br />a study for the City of Vero Beach. <br />Dan Click distributed a large information 'packet which <br />contained exhibits substantiating the technical information <br />presented at today's meeting. The exhibits contained extensive <br />information about Federal regulations on disposal of sewage and <br />sludge. The first exhibit was the following fact sheet summarizing <br />the EPA's sewage sludge use and disposal rule: <br />A United States Office of Water EPA -822-F-92-002 <br />��� E PA Environmental Protection WH -556 November 1992 <br />Agency Washington, DC 20460 <br />rage Sludgevse and Disposal Hu <br />(40 CFR Part 503) --- Fact Sheet <br />The Sewage Sludge Use and Disposal Regulation (40 CFR <br />Part 503) sets national standards for pathogens and 10 <br />heavy metals in sewage sludge. It also defines standards <br />(or management practices) for the safe handling and use of <br />sewage sludge. This rule is designed to protect human <br />health and the environment when sewage sludge is <br />beneficially applied to the land, placed in a surface <br />disposal site, or incinerated. The rule was developed in <br />accordance with the 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water <br />Act. <br />The rule is also the product of EPA's most comprehensive <br />risk assessment to date, in that it considers the full range <br />of potential impacts sewage sludge could have on public <br />health and the environment. It is based on the most <br />current scientific information and is the first rule <br />published by EPA that considers potential ecological <br />effects. Although developed by EPA's Office of Water <br />under the authority of the Clean Water Act, this rule is <br />multi -media in nature and seeks to protect surface water, <br />ground water, air, and land. <br />The scientific research used to develop this rule shows that <br />most sewage sludge can be safely and beneficially used in <br />a wide variety of ways. It can be applied safely to <br />agricultural land, lawns and gardens, golf courses, forests <br />and parks, and is a valuable resource for land reclamation <br />projects. This rule is designed to protect human health and <br />the environment at an equal margin of safety for any of <br />the regulated use or disposal practices. It sets standards <br />for pathogens and limits for 12 pollutants which have the <br />potential for adverse effects, and explains why limits are <br />not needed for 61 other pollutants that were considered. <br />Additionally, it contains a comprehensive set of <br />management practices to ensure that sewage sludge is <br />beneficially used or disposed of properly. <br />(e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) and pathogens (e.g., <br />bacteria, viruses, and parasites). Some sludges may <br />also contain small amounts of organic chemicals (such <br />as chloroform) and inorganic chemicals (such as iron). <br />■ Sewage sludge must be treated to improve its quality <br />before it can be used or disposed. This treatment <br />involves biological,, chemical, physical and/or thermal <br />processes primarily designed to remove water, reduce <br />the level of pathogens, stabilize volatile solids, and <br />make it less attractive to rodents, insects, and other <br />animals. <br />How Much Sewage Sludge Is There? <br />■ A typical family of four generates up to 400 gallons of <br />wastewater per day. Aka this wastewater has been <br />treated, about one pound of sludge on a dry weight <br />basis is produced. <br />■ There are approximately 13,000 to 15,000 publicly <br />owned treatment works in the United States which <br />generate 110-150 million wet metric tons of sewage <br />sludge, annually. <br />How is Sewage Sludge Beneficially Used or Disposed <br />of? <br />■ Sewage sludge has been used with great success on <br />agricultural lands throughout the world for decades. <br />Today, approximately 36% of the United States' sewage <br />sludge is -beneficially applied to land, 38% is landfilled <br />at municipal sites, 10% is surface disposed, and 16% is <br />incinerated. <br />