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Mr. Cotter said the fields to receive sludge are tested and sludge is applied to raise the Ph to 6.5 to 6.8. The amount used also depends on the crop to be grown. Sludge provides organic nitrogen, and more is used for a corn crop than for hay or pasture, he said.
Sludge cannot be reapplied to the same land for five years, he said. He added that it is usually a year or longer between when a farmer applies to have sludge spread and when it is actually spread. During that time the Health Department and State Water Control Board review the application, he said.
Mr. Cotter was asked about runoff. He said run-off was much more of a problem with conventional fertilizers, and commercial fertilizers are all in the form of nitrates, while sludge is slowly converted from organic nitrogen to nitrates for the plants’ use.
Chairman Hubert Gilkey asked how much land in Rappahannock would be eligible for sludge application with the restrictions on slope and application near streams.
95.8%