Letter to the editor: Does not approve of decision to allow sludge disposal

By Community Member | December 22, 2014 2:24 pm

The DEQ/Water Control Board permit that compels New Kent and other counties to accept “industrial sludge” is an act that makes a mockery of a basic principle on how the Commonwealth should function. In 1816, Thomas Jefferson wrote. “…the way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one but to divide it among the many,… Let…the State government (be entrusted ) with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the state generally, the counties with the local concerns of the counties…” Land management belongs to counties as long as they comply with appropriate regulations.

In compelling New Kent to accept sludge from Synagro, Richmond’s heavy hand is acting like the Federal Government. The citizens of New Kent have made clear that Synagro sludge is not welcome and an agency of the Commonwealth should not be so powerful as to force us to accept it. Applying Synagro sludge to land on the Pamunkey River creates a risk of sludge components leaching into the river, adding to the problem of restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Serious questions have been raised about the science that Synagro puts forward to demonstrate that sludge is not a threat to human health and the environment. Dr. Anthony Lewis, a microbiologist at the University of Georgia who spent 32 years at EPA raised serious questions about Synagro and the long-term effects of industrial sludge.

The Commonwealth’s permitting process runs roughshod over our rights and is in serious need of reform. Given the serious questions raised by Dr. Lewis about sludge and biosolids, there should be a rigorous, transparent testing program of Synagro’s sludge. The citizens of the affected counties have a right to know its components and their long-term effect on our environment. The final decisions should be made locally, not Richmond bureaucrats.

Fortunately, Delegate Chris Peace is proposing legislation to correct DEQ’s and the Water Control Board’s arrogance.

Bill O’Keefe
Providence Forge