6/28/17
In Brief / en bref....

  • Wheatfield, NY is ordered to allow local farm use of biosolids.  Read the letter from NY Department of Agricultural Management (NYDAM).
     
  • Lystek awarded again.... On June 22, the 6th Annual Water’s Next Award ceremonies were held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, in Toronto. As part of the proceedings, Cambridge-based Lystek International (a NEBRA member) was presented with two, national Water’s Next Awards – the first in the Project/Technology–Wastewater category and the second for overall Company of the Year. Lystek videos...
     
  • Biosolids/residuals concerns are voiced.... With the ease of internet communications, we continually find stories raising concerns about biosolids/residuals recycling.  We read them and pay attention: managing biosolids responsibly requires it.  But many of the stories are repetitions of outdated or off-base claims, such as complaints from long-term skeptics like Dr. David Lewis and Caroline Snyder.  However, some news points out real issues deserving ongoing attention, including, for example, the need to improve nutrient management in Florida or better control on air emissions in Detroit (a second story) or what does it mean to have microfibers in biosolids, an inevitability of modern life with modern fabrics or concerns in Ireland. Managing biosolids - the "waste" most distasteful to most people – is challenging.  And it is constantly improving through the push and pull of project innovations and oversight by media and the public. We continue to pay attention and proactively address real issues when they arise, seeking continual improvement and best management practices, for the benefit of society and the environment.
     

  • Pretreatment Standards for Dental Offices Finalized
    EPA's final Dental Amalgam Rule was published in the June 14 Federal Register, marking the end of more than a decade of work by EPA, NACWA, the American Dental Association and others, on how best to address mercury discharges from dental offices. This helps protect biosolids quality through reduction of sources of mercury in wastewater. See the EPA webpage.

  • Using dead tree biochar for odor control systems... The California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the Governors Office of Planning and Research, UC Merced, the University of Colorado, North Fork Community Power, and the Yosemite-Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council, has been awarded a $238,000 grant from the U. S. Forest Service Wood Innovation Program to evaluate the applicability of tree mortality biochar as a gas phase wastewater filtration medium in place of imported Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC).  Several CASA members have agreed to serve as demonstration sites for the work.  California's forests have experienced an unprecedented tree mortality crisis in the last 6 years. The dead trees pose hazards to infrastructure and communities, and increase the threat of destructive mega-fires. But removing those trees is cost-prohibitive unless the biomass can be turned into useful products. The grant is intended to develop and expand the market for biochar through applied research and demonstrations to test whether biochar produced from forest biomass can act as an effective substitute for imported GAC in gas phase odor control systems. CASA Director of Renewable Resources Greg Kester will act as the project manager.