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Continued from page 1 .- P™vides the farmers with fertilizer and disposes of waste, all at the same time, Ms. Sellins explained.
Before a permit is granted to either a private contractor or a municipality to apply sludge to land, soil scientists and geologists evaluate the proposed site. They look at • slope, acidity of the soil, depth to the
p*oundwater table, distance from homes, wells, streams, ponds and • property lines, the use to which the property will be put after sludge ap■
plication and other factors. Sludge samples are tested to make sure it falls within safety parameters, she noted.
After a permit is granted, both . the health department and State Water Control Board make periodic •. inspections to ensure that regulations on application rates, buffer distances and other standards are being followed, according to Ms. Sellins.
Monthly reports must be submitted to the agencies on the quan.. tity of sludge received and how much is applied to the land, she noted.
“If a problem arises, we will be out there, usually within the same day” said Ed Miller, also of the SWCB’s regional office. The health department treats sludge application just as it does a sewage plant and inspects two or three times a year, Mr. Miller said.
Mr. Eastham reported that people in Fauquier County have accused the health department and State Water Control Board “of not being able to do what the law requires and what you say you do.” He asked the SWCB representatives to promise in writing that they “will protect Rappahannock County” and monitor sludge application here.
“We have to rely on cdunty citi- zens to let us know of any problems,” Ms. Sellins replied. “We don’t have enough people in our office to have someone on every site everytime sludge is applied. ”
“We can’t guarantee anything,” Mr. Miller acknowledged. “We can’t guarantee that pesticides will be used properly, according to the law.” He acknowledged that contract haulers of sludge are responsible for monitoring themselves. “ The state has a self-monitoring system,’ he said, with procedures for sludge application identical to the self-monitoring program set for sewage treatment plants like Sperryville’s.
“I’m not looking forward to hav| |f&g 'Sperryville’s or anybody else’s Nftllwgie%Jwhd here-,* said Ron Frazier, , charging that Wednesday’s hearing seemed to'Be geared toward accepting sludge and asking if raw sludge has been spread in Fauquier County.
Raw sludge that has not been stabilized and treated to destroy pathogens cannot be legally applied to land anywhere in Virginia, Mr. Miller replied.
Mr. Frazier maintained that monitoring land application using just the reports that the appliers submit provides no control.
‘We do have spot checks,” said Mr. Miller, at the same time admitting that these checks occur infrequently.
“We knew we’d have to make a - decision eventually when we put the moratorium on,” said supervisor chairman Hubert Gilkey, explaining ; that the ban on land application was ; never intended to be permanent. “We wanted to find out the capabil• ity of the land . . . We knew we had ! to put Sperryville’s sludge some! where. We have to revoke the morai torium.” ; Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter ; Luke acknowledged that the coun■ ty’s moratorium applies only to
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