By Steve Davey, President, ES&E magazine
Following the tainted drinking water tragedy in Walkerton, management of organic residuals in Canada is becoming more challenging and complex, both socially and politically. Many farmers and town councils are increasingly becoming opposed to land application of biosolids.
In September, some 250 producers, managers, practitioners and regulators met in Toronto, at the 1st Canadian National Residuals and Biosolids Management Conference, to share their experiences and learn more about various initiatives and technologies. During the opening general session, speakers from various provinces outlined key biosolids strategies and policies.
Larry Schut, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), explained that Ontario's first biosolids (sludge) land application guidelines were published in 1973 and were last updated in 1996.
These initial guidelines specified that:
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| Larry Schut, from OMAFRA, outlined Ontario's guidelines |
Currently in Ontario, he said three ministries are involved with biosolids issues. The Ministry of the Environment is responsible for legislation, OMAFRA provides technical advice, and the Ministry of Health deals with related health issues.
Mr. Schut explained that current permit requests for land application of wastes, i.e. slaughterhouse effluents, are reviewed by the special Biosolids Utilization Committee (BUC). This committee is made up of government and stakeholder representatives. BUC examines applications on a case-by-case basis and then advises the Ministry of the Environment if they are acceptable.
Jack Bridon, from BC, told delegates that in his province, 90% of municipal biosolids is land applied. Of that, 70% is used for land reclamation, 25% for agriculture and the remaining 5% is retailed as compost. He believes that because of extensive education efforts, public concern in BC is not a problem.
Brent Ame, from Manitoba, explained that most wastewater facilitiesin his province use holding lagoons, some of which are only pumped out every nine years. Biosolids can be land applied at a one time use of 55 tonnes per hectare.
He said that the increasing number and size of hog plants, and a recent report showing that 48% of private wells were contaminated, was causing increased public concern.
Richard Beaulieu, from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment said that in his province in 1999, 80% of biosolids was incinerated, 12% landfilled and 8% or .5 million tonnes was either land applied or composted.
Craig Peddie, of Azurix, explained that in Alberta and Saskatchewan, regulations specify a maximum biosolids application rate of 25 tonnes per hectare. Biosolids cannot be applied to land used for root crops, vegetables, tobacco or dairy grazing.
An Ottawa representative of the National Sludge Alliance presented his organization's position on problems with Canada's land application policies. For example, he said that Ontario's guidelines do not specify any minimum distance between the land involved and the general public. Other issues the Alliance do not feel are being addressed properly include: the effects of leachate in areas where the land is tile drained; lack of proper monitoring; and insufficient emergency planning.
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