There’s big profit in poop
HRM stands to make $350,000 a year selling treated sewage sludge
By DEVIN STEVENS
Sat. May 17 2008
Rae Wallin, right, president and CEO of N-Viro Systems Canada Ltd., shows Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly some of the systems at the biosolids processing facility in in Goffs on Friday. The plant treats sludge from the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project. (Darren Pittman / Staff)
It’s flushed down your toilet, flows to a sewage treatment plant, is trucked out to a plant near Halifax Stanfield International Airport, and as of Thursday, it’s being shipped out to farmers’ fields across the province.
The mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality says the city’s sewage will eventually be worth $350,000 a year.
"It’s very environmentally responsible," Mayor Peter Kelly said Thursday at the Aerotech Park biosolids processing facility in Goffs, near the airport.
"We have taken the solids out of (Halifax Harbour). It’s one that we’ve had complaints about over the years. You don’t see those floatables anymore downtown."
The mayor was taking a tour of the processing plant along with councillors Jim Smith (Albro Lake-Harbourview), Sheila Fougere (Connaught-Quinpool) and Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes). They learned that turning Halifax’s sewage into a soil additive is a complicated process. First, the solid waste is separated from the water, creating a type of sludge that is taken by truck to the processing plant, where it’s mixed with dust from a cement kiln and lime. The mix is dried in a rotary drum, raising the temperature and pH level. Then it’s stored at a controlled temperature for 12 hours. The mix is scrubbed to remove particles and acid, then biofiltered for odour control. It comes out the other end looking like grey soil and smelling a bit like cement mix.
The use of human waste in farmers’ fields is a contentious issue. The Cutten family of Lower Truro suffered huge financial loses after installing expensive sewage lagoons on their 160-hectare farm with the Environment Department’s blessing a few years ago. An environmental group raised concerns about the practice, and the department changed its mind in October 2004 and revoked the Cuttens’ permit to spread human waste on their fields.
Councillors and officials from N-Viro Systems Canada said Friday that the treated sewage qualifies as a class A or EQ product. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s the best quality available and is safe to use on any plant.
Samples are taken regularly and tested at an independent laboratory.
"It actually exceeds the quality of stuff that’s already being spread on fields across Nova Scotia," Mr. Younger said.
"It eliminates the concern that some people had that there would be some sort of risk associated with this."
The biosolids processing plant is part of the Harbour Solutions Project, intended to end the practice of dumping raw sewage into Halifax Harbour. Halifax and Dartmouth have allowed their sewage to flow into the harbour since the mid-1700s.
New sludge will eventually come from all three sewage treatment plants in metro Halifax. The plant on Barrington Street began operating in February, while the ones in Dartmouth and Herring Cove are expected to start up later this year.
Mr. Younger said he scuba dives in the harbour and has noticed the difference since the first plant began operating.
"I can tell you it’s a lot better now than it was before," he said with a chuckle.
"And that’s only with one plant on the go. So once all the plants are up and running, I think you’ll see a big difference."
Mr. Kelly didn’t shy away from the treated product, shifting it in his hands and at one point standing more than ankle-deep in it.
"It’s (a project) we knew was supported by the public," Mr. Kelly said. "It’s one that we knew had to be done."
The first truckloads of the sewage-derived soil additive went out to farms on Thursday.
Rae Wallin, president and CEO of N-Viro Systems, said the product is completely safe and free of toxins, and everything used to make it, even the air, is filtered and cleaned.
The city pays the Ontario company to take the sludge and shares the profits with the company.
Mr. Wallin said N-Viro charges farmers a few dollars a tonne right now but the price should rise to $12 to $14 a tonne as more farmers begin using the product. He hopes to eventually ship 35,000 tonnes a year.
"That’s after our market is developed," Mr. Wallin said. "We have to get the farmers here used to the product."
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1056392.html
....................
Big profit in poop?
Maybe...but not from selling it.
In this story the Canadian CEO of N-Viro Systems Canada says he is charging farmers a 'few dollars' a tonne for this sewage sludge and cement kiln dust mixture. He doesn't name the product. But if indeed this stuff is sold to farmers with claims of soil or crop improvement, then it is required to meet the standards of the Fertilizers Act. But earlier this week the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) who regulates fertilizers and supplements, told Sludge Watch that the material has NOT been given a 'letter of no objection' to sale. It remains to be confirmed whether this material is being sold, and whether it meets the requirements of the Fertilizer Act.
The story describes the material as 'Class A' or 'EQ' product. Those are not terms used in the Fertilizer Act. That is the language of the land application of sewage sludge as waste under a province of Nova Scotia permit.
So is this regulated as fertilizer by the Feds or is this a provincial waste permit material that is distributed for free? The story doesn't really make it clear.
But you can find out just which agency is supposed to be regulating this stuff (if any):
1. Reach out to the City of Halifax and ask them if this material is distributed under provincial permit as biosolids or if it is managed under federal regulations as fertilizer/ supplement under CFIA jurisdiction. Ask them for a copy of the required fertilizer label. Ask them if the material is sold.
And while you are at it, find out about this 'big money in poop' claim. Ask the Mayor how much money the Halifax taxpayer is giving to N-Viro Systems...and ask how much the City has received back. Ask how much per ton the taxpayer is paying to receive cement kiln dust from Lafarge Cement in Brookfield. You will be amazed what the taxpayer is asked to pony up for industrial wastes.
Contact:
Mayor Peter J. Kelly
Halifax Regional Municipality
902-490-4010
kellyp@halifax.ca
2. Reach out to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and see if they have provided a letter of no objection to the sale of the Halifax sludge material. Since the material can be distributed without any federal approval but must still meet all the requirements of the Fertilizer Act if it is sold, then you can make a complaint and ask the CFIA to investigate. Since no one has provided a label for this 'fertilizer', we must wonder whether it really is a legal fertilizer.
CFIA contact:
MP Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Foods
Tel (613) 995-7080
Fax: (613) 996-8472
or write to him (postage free in Canada)
The Honourable Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Government of Canada
9th Floor, Sir John Carling Building
930 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C5
or for details of Fertilizer regulations:
Kate Billingsley
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(613) 221-7508 Fax:(613) 228-6629
billingsleyk@inspection.gc.ca
You might want to ask the Minister if spreading sewer sludge mixed with cement kiln dust on food lands is part of his "Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan"
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2008/2008_08_e.html
4. Ask Rae Wallin of N-Viro Systems
Ask him to provide a copy of the label for this material, and ask him whether it is distributed as a fertilizer under the Fertilizer Act or if it is distributed free under provincial permit as 'biosolids'.
Ask him for a complete analysis of the material. Ask him to include the thallium levels.
Rae Wallin
N-Viro Systems Canada
(613) 348-3302. Fax: (613) 348-1050.
Email: wallin@recorder.ca , rwallin@sympatico.ca
helen.gallaugher@sympatico.ca
5. Ask the Province of Nova Scotia if they have provided a permit for the land application of this N-Viro process material from Halifax. Ask for copies of the tests they performed on the material.
Ministry of the Environment
Hon. Kerry Morash,
5151 Terminal Road
PO Box 697Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T8
Ph: (902) 424-4125 or 902.424.6647
Fax: 902.424.0575
E-mail: doehlfx.baidenls@gov.ns.ca
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
HRM stands to make $350,000 a year selling treated sewage sludge
By DEVIN STEVENS
Sat. May 17 2008
Rae Wallin, right, president and CEO of N-Viro Systems Canada Ltd., shows Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly some of the systems at the biosolids processing facility in in Goffs on Friday. The plant treats sludge from the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project. (Darren Pittman / Staff)
It’s flushed down your toilet, flows to a sewage treatment plant, is trucked out to a plant near Halifax Stanfield International Airport, and as of Thursday, it’s being shipped out to farmers’ fields across the province.
The mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality says the city’s sewage will eventually be worth $350,000 a year.
"It’s very environmentally responsible," Mayor Peter Kelly said Thursday at the Aerotech Park biosolids processing facility in Goffs, near the airport.
"We have taken the solids out of (Halifax Harbour). It’s one that we’ve had complaints about over the years. You don’t see those floatables anymore downtown."
The mayor was taking a tour of the processing plant along with councillors Jim Smith (Albro Lake-Harbourview), Sheila Fougere (Connaught-Quinpool) and Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes). They learned that turning Halifax’s sewage into a soil additive is a complicated process. First, the solid waste is separated from the water, creating a type of sludge that is taken by truck to the processing plant, where it’s mixed with dust from a cement kiln and lime. The mix is dried in a rotary drum, raising the temperature and pH level. Then it’s stored at a controlled temperature for 12 hours. The mix is scrubbed to remove particles and acid, then biofiltered for odour control. It comes out the other end looking like grey soil and smelling a bit like cement mix.
The use of human waste in farmers’ fields is a contentious issue. The Cutten family of Lower Truro suffered huge financial loses after installing expensive sewage lagoons on their 160-hectare farm with the Environment Department’s blessing a few years ago. An environmental group raised concerns about the practice, and the department changed its mind in October 2004 and revoked the Cuttens’ permit to spread human waste on their fields.
Councillors and officials from N-Viro Systems Canada said Friday that the treated sewage qualifies as a class A or EQ product. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s the best quality available and is safe to use on any plant.
Samples are taken regularly and tested at an independent laboratory.
"It actually exceeds the quality of stuff that’s already being spread on fields across Nova Scotia," Mr. Younger said.
"It eliminates the concern that some people had that there would be some sort of risk associated with this."
The biosolids processing plant is part of the Harbour Solutions Project, intended to end the practice of dumping raw sewage into Halifax Harbour. Halifax and Dartmouth have allowed their sewage to flow into the harbour since the mid-1700s.
New sludge will eventually come from all three sewage treatment plants in metro Halifax. The plant on Barrington Street began operating in February, while the ones in Dartmouth and Herring Cove are expected to start up later this year.
Mr. Younger said he scuba dives in the harbour and has noticed the difference since the first plant began operating.
"I can tell you it’s a lot better now than it was before," he said with a chuckle.
"And that’s only with one plant on the go. So once all the plants are up and running, I think you’ll see a big difference."
Mr. Kelly didn’t shy away from the treated product, shifting it in his hands and at one point standing more than ankle-deep in it.
"It’s (a project) we knew was supported by the public," Mr. Kelly said. "It’s one that we knew had to be done."
The first truckloads of the sewage-derived soil additive went out to farms on Thursday.
Rae Wallin, president and CEO of N-Viro Systems, said the product is completely safe and free of toxins, and everything used to make it, even the air, is filtered and cleaned.
The city pays the Ontario company to take the sludge and shares the profits with the company.
Mr. Wallin said N-Viro charges farmers a few dollars a tonne right now but the price should rise to $12 to $14 a tonne as more farmers begin using the product. He hopes to eventually ship 35,000 tonnes a year.
"That’s after our market is developed," Mr. Wallin said. "We have to get the farmers here used to the product."
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1056392.html
....................
Big profit in poop?
Maybe...but not from selling it.
In this story the Canadian CEO of N-Viro Systems Canada says he is charging farmers a 'few dollars' a tonne for this sewage sludge and cement kiln dust mixture. He doesn't name the product. But if indeed this stuff is sold to farmers with claims of soil or crop improvement, then it is required to meet the standards of the Fertilizers Act. But earlier this week the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) who regulates fertilizers and supplements, told Sludge Watch that the material has NOT been given a 'letter of no objection' to sale. It remains to be confirmed whether this material is being sold, and whether it meets the requirements of the Fertilizer Act.
The story describes the material as 'Class A' or 'EQ' product. Those are not terms used in the Fertilizer Act. That is the language of the land application of sewage sludge as waste under a province of Nova Scotia permit.
So is this regulated as fertilizer by the Feds or is this a provincial waste permit material that is distributed for free? The story doesn't really make it clear.
But you can find out just which agency is supposed to be regulating this stuff (if any):
1. Reach out to the City of Halifax and ask them if this material is distributed under provincial permit as biosolids or if it is managed under federal regulations as fertilizer/ supplement under CFIA jurisdiction. Ask them for a copy of the required fertilizer label. Ask them if the material is sold.
And while you are at it, find out about this 'big money in poop' claim. Ask the Mayor how much money the Halifax taxpayer is giving to N-Viro Systems...and ask how much the City has received back. Ask how much per ton the taxpayer is paying to receive cement kiln dust from Lafarge Cement in Brookfield. You will be amazed what the taxpayer is asked to pony up for industrial wastes.
Contact:
Mayor Peter J. Kelly
Halifax Regional Municipality
902-490-4010
kellyp@halifax.ca
2. Reach out to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and see if they have provided a letter of no objection to the sale of the Halifax sludge material. Since the material can be distributed without any federal approval but must still meet all the requirements of the Fertilizer Act if it is sold, then you can make a complaint and ask the CFIA to investigate. Since no one has provided a label for this 'fertilizer', we must wonder whether it really is a legal fertilizer.
CFIA contact:
MP Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Foods
Tel (613) 995-7080
Fax: (613) 996-8472
or write to him (postage free in Canada)
The Honourable Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Government of Canada
9th Floor, Sir John Carling Building
930 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C5
or for details of Fertilizer regulations:
Kate Billingsley
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(613) 221-7508 Fax:(613) 228-6629
billingsleyk@inspection.gc.ca
You might want to ask the Minister if spreading sewer sludge mixed with cement kiln dust on food lands is part of his "Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan"
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2008/2008_08_e.html
4. Ask Rae Wallin of N-Viro Systems
Ask him to provide a copy of the label for this material, and ask him whether it is distributed as a fertilizer under the Fertilizer Act or if it is distributed free under provincial permit as 'biosolids'.
Ask him for a complete analysis of the material. Ask him to include the thallium levels.
Rae Wallin
N-Viro Systems Canada
(613) 348-3302. Fax: (613) 348-1050.
Email: wallin@recorder.ca , rwallin@sympatico.ca
helen.gallaugher@sympatico.ca
5. Ask the Province of Nova Scotia if they have provided a permit for the land application of this N-Viro process material from Halifax. Ask for copies of the tests they performed on the material.
Ministry of the Environment
Hon. Kerry Morash,
5151 Terminal Road
PO Box 697Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T8
Ph: (902) 424-4125 or 902.424.6647
Fax: 902.424.0575
E-mail: doehlfx.baidenls@gov.ns.ca
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Labels: N-Viro Halifax biosolids sludge
posted by Sludge at 8:35 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home