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Public works outlines long-running biosolids land-application program; council set to consider multi-site renewals
Summary
The Public Works Department described agreements to land-apply treated biosolids on agricultural fields, citing decades-long program history, substantial landfill-cost avoidance and five-year renewal cycles.
Public Works staff summarized the city’s biosolids land-application program during a March 4 council hearing and explained a package of agreements to renew spreading biosolids on a set of agricultural properties.
Jim Key of the Public Works Department said the program, which the department has used for decades, applies stabilized sewage biosolids to agricultural fields as a soil amendment rather than disposing of the material in landfill. Key said the agreements carry five-year renewal cycles and that using the land-application program produces substantial cost savings compared with landfilling: Key cited a hypothetical landfill-disposal cost of roughly $2,300,000 versus an estimated annual cost for the land-application program near $36,000.
Key explained the biosolids are a byproduct of wastewater treatment, that partnering with farmers is central to the program and that the agreements allow spreading on specified properties adjacent to the city’s service area. He said program administrators review environmental and agronomic controls as part of the ongoing permits and agreements.
Public comment included references to broader sewer and infrastructure funding needs. Donnie R. Johnson spoke during the public hearing and referenced broader sewer system questions and the city’s efforts to secure state funding for mandatory sewer upgrades.
The items were presented at a public hearing for the council’s consideration on the upcoming meeting agenda; the transcript did not record final council action on the bundled agreements at this session.
