KDHE official outlines 'beneficial use' of food-processing residuals, residents raise dust and odor concerns

A KDHE Bureau of Waste Management official told the Coffey County Board of Commissioners on March 24 that certain food-processing residuals can be applied to farm fields as a "beneficial use" — but the practice requires lab analysis, soil testing and ongoing management to avoid runoff, nutrient overload and neighbor nuisance.

Emory (Emery) Ween, who identified himself as a KDHE Bureau of Waste Management representative, described the permitting and technical controls KDHE uses for beneficial land application. "These are food waste residuals that go in the ground that plants can use and soils can use," Ween said, explaining that KDHE requires laboratory analysis of the residual and the receiving soil and uses a spreadsheet (SWP906) to compute allowable application rates.

Ween said KDHE frequently sets application limits by phosphorus and nitrogen content and by the moisture content of the residuals, and that applicants must reapply for approval annually. He said trucks may deliver large volumes — "you might talk about 40,000 to a million gallons per acre" as raw numbers for dilute residuals, but that high water content drives most operational limits. He added that, when soils are saturated or frozen, application must stop to prevent runoff.

Why it matters: commissioners and residents in Coffey County have raised complaints about dust from tanker trucks and offensive odors from a local operation that applies food-processing liquids to farmland. Commissioners asked whether KDHE can regulate odor and truck traffic; Ween said KDHE has limited authority on odor per se and focuses on preventing runoff and nutrient exceedances, though the agency can pursue enforcement when permit conditions or application practices are violated.

Local context and concerns: Ween said KDHE looks for setbacks from residences (he noted a 200-foot rule for some setbacks and that operators have agreed to extra distance at one Coffey County site). He also described common mitigation: limiting tanker speeds, reducing truck counts, using dust suppression on local roads and moving application equipment to injectors or incorporate product into the soil. On odors, Ween said KDHE cannot directly regulate odor under its rules but will press operators to change practices; he also said some operators are testing enzymes or polymers to reduce odor in holding tanks.

Commissioner follow-up and county direction: commissioners pressed KDHE and local staff on monitoring and enforcement. Ween said KDHE will respond to credible complaints and inspect sites; he encouraged residents to file complaints so KDHE can document and act. County staff and KDHE staff discussed on-site measures already deployed, including additional setback distance, dust-control measures on county roads and injector application methods that reduce surface exposure.

Next steps: KDHE offered to continue coordination with county staff and the operator to monitor conditions and consider additional controls where necessary. Commissioners said they will continue to track complaints and asked staff to return with any recommended local permitting or road-use conditions that would reduce dust and truck impacts.