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Nonprofit seeks MS4 partners to pilot bagged drinking-water residuals for phosphorus reduction
Summary
Friends of Northern Lake Champlain proposed piloting bagged drinking-water residuals in catch basins to reduce phosphorus, estimating a cost of about $200 per kg and seeking MS4 community partners; DEC asked for literature review and field testing before formal acceptance.
At the May 5 MS4 Subcommittee meeting, Lori Barg of Friends of Northern Lake Champlain proposed a pilot to use bagged drinking-water treatment residuals placed in stormwater catch basins as a means to reduce phosphorus.
Barg said the approach "could cost as little as $200 per kg by bagging drinking water residuals and putting them in catch basins," and that preliminary approval for a pilot may be available within two to six weeks, pending partner communities.
CCRPC staff expressed interest but said such a practice would need DEC review. Dan Albrecht said the practice must be "first blessed by DEC as practice with a defined standardized phosphorous reduction." DEC representatives at the meeting asked for a literature review and field testing to establish defensible evidence and clear metrics before allowing the method as an accepted practice.
Why it matters: if proven effective and permitted by DEC, the practice could become a low-cost, locally implementable measure for phosphorus reduction in MS4 communities; however, acceptance depends on regulatory review and demonstrated efficacy in field conditions.
Details from the meeting: Barg identified preliminary logistics and a unit cost estimate of about $200 per kilogram of phosphorus removed using bagged residuals. She asked MS4 communities to volunteer as pilot hosts. DEC asked for a formal testing plan and for evidence on standardized phosphorus-reduction performance before any widescale recommendation.
Next steps: Friends of Northern Lake Champlain will seek MS4 partners for the pilot. CCRPC staff and DEC will pursue literature review and field-testing protocols and report findings back to the subcommittee for consideration.
