[USCC] Biosolids Compost on the White House Lawn

[Donald Lewis]

I believe that the original compost went down in the 70's. I also suspect that there was some topdressing in the 90's, and when Pennsylvania Avenue was closed to vehicular traffic sometime after 9/11, the soil was amended with a very large amount of composted biosolids from the Baltimore compost facility. This latter application was noted in Biosolids. When the original spreading was done on the South Lawn (Note the green grass next time you see the President getting out of Marine 1), all of the questions that have occupied this list in recent months were asked, and Dr. Cheney was one of the most persistent of the questioners involved. For the record, when he speaks to this issue, it is with a great deal of personal knowledge! He wasn't an easy sell, either.

Don Lewis
MD Department of Agriculture
State Chemist Section
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21401