Join the Disposal Discussions

To land spread or not to land spread? That is the question.

To land spread or not to land spread? That is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler to find another way to dispose of septage or to fight against a sea of state regulators …

Hamlet I ain’t, and I’m sure folks in William Shakespeare’s world didn’t give a whole lot of thought to sanitation. How they dealt with human waste would likely shock us all here in the 21st century.

Today, however, wastewater is becoming a hot button issue all over, as states seek to limit — or end all together — the practice of land spreading. Many promote a more sophisticated approach, dewatering and treating wastewater before returning it to the ground.

But still, others cut against the current in the court of public opinion. A recent editorial in New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor newspaper led with the headline, “Spreading Biosolids Still the Best Option.’’ The commentary shows a surprising level of understanding for a complex issue.

Commenting on upcoming votes in two area communities — one to join many other municipalities in banning land spreading, and one to lift a ban on land spreading — the newspaper was critical of a “not in my backyard’’ attitude that can overwhelm the debate over the best way to deal with sewage sludge. And end up costing homeowners a lot more money.

“Voters in towns that ban sludge spreading should rightly expect that places that wind up with their waste will charge them more, perhaps much more than current prices,’’ the editorial states. “Every modern option for dealing with sewage sludge has a cost, as well as environmental benefits and downsides. Spreading the sludge on agricultural lands is easily the cheapest option.

“If the sludge were only the composted excreta of humans and animals in the pre-chemical era, it would be, by far, the best choice environmentally. Some would argue that’s still true if the sludge is tested regularly and spread on land that has the proper soil type and pH,’’ the editorial goes on. “Sludge, particularly if it’s a Class A biosolid, which was composted to eliminate all detectable pathogens, is an excellent fertilizer that can carry little risk … Residents in towns that ban sludge spreading will pay a price for avoiding the odor and risk associated with the practice, as residents will learn as soon as they get a higher bill for having their septic tank pumped out.’’

The fate of land spreading is one of a number of disposal issues percolating in the liquid waste industry. And through the efforts of individual haulers and groups like the National Association of Wastewater Transporters, the industry is more and more taking the disposal challenge into its own hands.

VISITING DAVID HAPCHUK

One of those pre-treatment pioneers is David Hapchuk of Hapchuk Inc., Washington, Pa. Hapchuk is hosting NAWT’s annual Waste Treatment Symposium in September, and I had the good fortune of visiting Hapchuk’s Wheeling, W.V., disposal facility on a recent road trip. At the clean and efficient dewatering plant, Hapchuk not only treats waste his business collects, he processes waste from numerous haulers in the area, providing them with a viable solution.

Look inside this issue to see photos from my tour of Hapchuk’s facility and to learn more about his plans for hosting the NAWT event. Hapchuk spoke to writer Mary Shafer about his current views on disposal and shared insights about what pumpers will see when they visit his plant later this year.



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