[USCC] Biosolids Composting in Oklahoma

[Jim McNelly]

> From Tahlequah, OK Daily Press, 8-17-06.  Sewage Composting Project 
> to Begin Soon in OK. TAHLEQUAH- Area landscape operation owners and 
> gardeners may have a new outlet for valuable compost during 
> planting season next spring.Tahlequah Public Works General Manager 
> Stanley Day indicated the city's biosolids composting project 
> should be operational by November, with compost being ready three 
> to four months later.According to a recent report by the Associated 
> Press, biosolids composting is not a new practice, and has been 
> carried out in some very unlikely places - specifically, Fairbanks, 
> Alaska.Prior to the operational success in the north, experts 
> believed composting was impossible any farther north than North 
> Dakota, however, utility officials in Fairbanks turn waste from 
> 87,000 residents into a product in such demand they have a hard 
> time satisfying requests.
>
>According to the AP, the Alaskan compost is cooked in beds bigger 
>than football fields and has received the Environmental Protection 
>Agency's highest rating. They utility company has removed massive 
>amounts of sludge from the area, which was causing a problem due to 
>the temperature. Microbes have a hard time breaking sludge down at 
>sub-zero temperatures.Tahlequah's operation would operate in a 
>similar fashion to the one in Alaska, minus the cold weather."Our 
>compost project will be very similar, but it won't be on as large a 
>scale as was mentioned in the report," said Day. "Our win rows will 
>be approximately 4 feet wide, 4 feet high, and anywhere from 85 to 
>100 feet long."
>
>Sewage sludge is made up of the solid material removed from water 
>that flows into the water treatment plant southeast of town. The 
>goal is to separate solids from liquids and deal with each 
>separately. Raw sludge can be harmful, as it can contain pathogens 
>and heavy metals that must be removed or neutralized before it can 
>be applied to land, burned or even dumped at a landfill.Jerry 
>Lawrence, water treatment plant superintendent, explained how TPWA 
>plans to use existing facilities to create the compost."We'll use 
>the old sludge runs to create the composting area," said Lawrence. 
>"We're going to tear down the interior concrete walls, leaving one 
>big, open pit for composting."
>
>The process used in Alaska - and eventually, here in Tahlequah - 
>involves mixing digested sludge with a carbon source that feeds 
>bacteria, provides bulk and absorbs moisture. Then, fresh wood chips 
>obtained (in Tahlequah's case) from tree-trimming operations are 
>added to the mix, which is then sifted, turned and mixed, then piled 
>on top of a perforated pipe that delivers air. Then result is a 
>dried cake of compost 85 feet long and 4 feet high.
>
>While the idea is interesting in theory, many area environmentalists 
>are concerned about the reality of the practice, fearing runoff from 
>the compost could harm the Illinois River and other scenic 
>waterways.Ed Brocksmith, Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commissioner and 
>Save the Illinois River member, would like the project to be 
>eliminated."The OSRC has adopted a resolution opposing the 
>application of any sewage sludge in the Illinois River Basin, and 
>STIR is also opposed to it, along with the Greater Lake Tenkiller 
>Association," said Brocksmith. "The phosphorus removed from the 
>wastewater remains in the sludge, and they want to take that 
>phosphorus and put it right back into the Illinois River, right back 
>into Lake Tenkiller."
>
>Day believes Brocksmith may not have all the facts with regard to 
>the Tahlequah operation."Biosolids are classified in a number of 
>ways," said Day. "There are Class A and Class B biosolids. We will 
>be producing Class A biosolids, which go through a heat process that 
>reduces the amount of phosphorus, ammonia and other components that 
>make up compost."Day and Tahlequah Mayor Ken Purdy visited with 
>Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality officials in Oklahoma 
>City Monday, and received the agency's support on the project."We 
>issued a permit to the city of Tahlequah for the composting project 
>Feb. 8," said Monty Elder, spokeswoman for the ODEQ. "We also issued 
>a $20,000 grant to reimburse the city for purchasing recycling 
>equipment." Elder indicated four other cities in the state have the 
>same type of biosolids composting projects, including Yukon, 
>Anadarko, Bethany-Warr Acres and Oklahoma City. "We don't believe 
>the composting project in Tahlequah will harm the scenic waterways 
>in the area, particularly the Illinois River," said Elder.