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By JESSICA FALK
Rappahannock New* Special Writer
The agricultural application of sludge, the organic end-product of wastewater treatment, is once again a topic of debate in throughout the region.
Before sludge can be spread on county fields as fertilizer, three different departments on the state and county levels must give applicants the go-ahead.
In Fauquier County, to apply for permission to spread sludge, companies must send memos to the Zoning Department, the State Water Control Board and the Virginia Health Department. Applicants must undergo separate investigations and receive approval from each department before the sludge can be used.
There are currently two companies that spread sludge in the county. Recyc Systems Inc., which is located in Remington, is already seeking approval to spread sludge on 2,028 acres in 1993, according to Carolyn Bowen, county zoning administrator. She added that Bio Gro Systems Inc. in Annapolis, Md., has submitted applications for approximately 7,800 acres.
In addition, Recyc Systems spread sludge on approximately 305 acres in Fauquier this year, and Bio Gro spread sludge on 282 acres.
According to Mrs. Bowen, a sludge request comes through zoning twice. Zoning is the first department to receive an application, and it forwards it to VDH and the WCB if it meets zoning requirements.
After VDH and WCB approve an application, zoning goes over the request again to make sure that the requirements are met.
In order to qualify for approval from the zoning department to spread sludge, a property must be
92.7%