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Soils expert says biosolids stigma disappearingOREGON CITY, Ore. (AP)--Once dismissed as unsafe, human waste is fast becoming the fertilizer of choice for a growing number of Oregon farmers who say it offers an alternative to increasingly expensive chemical fertilizers. A few years ago, wastewater treatment officials sometimes had trouble finding enough fields to dispose of biosolids, the industry's preferred name for the sludge that remains after sewage treatment. But as petroleum prices have jumped, so has demand for an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Because of the petroleum-intensive process used to create them, those fertilizers have seen a doubling or tripling in prices in recent years. Howard DeLano used to think using biosolids was a bad idea, now the cattle rancher uses it to fertilize hay. State regulations forbid using biosolids on crops intended for human consumption. DeLano can tick off a number of reasons why he's turned to biosolids. Most of all, it saves him cash--about $4,000 a year. Many farmers get biosolids for free because wastewater treatment plant operators in places such as Clackamas County consider it more cost effective to spread them on fields rather than haul them to landfills. But some jurisdictions such as Portland and King County, Wash., sometimes charge for them, said Maile Lono-Batura, manager of the Northwest Biosolids Association. In Clackamas County alone, demand has more than tripled. Last year, biosolids from the Tri-City Water Pollution Control Plant were spread over 1,536 acres. This year, county officials have booked 5,220 acres. "It has become easier to get rid of them because it seems like everyone wants them," said Rod Raines, biosolids coordinator. Treatment officials in Portland, Oak Lodge and other jurisdictions have also seen increases, which they, too, attribute to the rising cost of fertilizer. Still, biosolids are spread on less than 1 percent of all Oregon farmland, according to the Department of Environmental Quality, which regulates their use. Though some people worry that biosolids contaminate water, sicken people and ruin soil, Craig Cogger, a soil scientist at Washington State University, said the stigma is disappearing. Biosolids are mostly made of dead bacteria bodies and are a sustainable way to grow crops fed to animals, Cogger said. 11/3/08 Date: 10/30/08
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