On Sept. 5, 2025, the Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee heard a detailed presentation on contamination risks from land application of sewage sludge (also called biosolids) and discussed whether Tompkins County should seek a temporary moratorium while more data is gathered.

Claire Walsh Winsler, director of food, agricultural and land use at Environmental Advocates New York, told the committee that biosolids can carry a range of contaminants — industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, heavy metals and PFAS "forever chemicals" — and that these substances can move from amended soil into crops, into livestock and into surface and groundwater. "PFAS accumulate in the milk, the beef, the chicken," Walsh Winsler said, and they noted instances in other jurisdictions where land application has led to drinking‑water contamination and moratoriums.

The committee heard technical context: state and municipal treatment practices classify biosolids as Class A or Class B. Class A products are further processed and may be sold as bagged fertilizer; Class B products are land‑applied under permit conditions. Walsh Winsler said there are currently no active Class B land‑application permits in Tompkins County; she and other speakers emphasized uncertainty about how widely Class A products might be sold locally.

Crystal Buck, the county's farmland protection educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension, said the Ag and Farmland Protection Board supported further study and expressed interest in a moratorium that would provide time for investigation. "There was support for the idea of a moratorium, especially as it would give an opportunity for further study," Buck told the committee.

Legal and policy context: speakers noted the New York State Senate passed a version of a moratorium bill this year (state bill cited in the meeting as S5759; the Assembly companion was cited as A6192). Committee members were told an outright local ban would raise legal issues with agricultural‑district protections; county counsel (Maurie Josephson was present) and staff recommended focusing on health‑and‑safety grounds and on measures that are compatible with state agricultural law.

Committee members and staff discussed information needs and next steps. Suggestions included surveying local farmers (Cornell Cooperative Extension said it maintains contact lists for farm surveys and could conduct outreach), contacting wastewater haulers for movement data, requesting relevant Cornell research or statements, and coordinating input from the Environmental Management Council and the Ag and Farmland Protection Board. Kate Darfler (chair, Environmental Management Council) and other advisory board members signaled interest in a coordinated approach.

Examples from other jurisdictions were referenced: Albany County and Schoharie County had short moratoriums and study periods; the statewide bill discussed in the legislature would have imposed a multi‑year moratorium while additional testing and study are done. Presenters cited state and federal work, including an EPA draft risk assessment issued earlier in the year addressing PFAS and land application of biosolids.

No formal county moratorium was adopted at the meeting. Committee members asked staff to gather more local data — including possible farmer surveys and information from haulers and sellers — and to consult with county counsel and the Environmental Management Council before returning with recommendations.