January 27, 1998 - 7:00 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

Jan nary 27, 1998The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session on Tuesday, January 27,1998, at 700 oclock pm in the Commissioners Meeting Room, Johnston County Courthouse Annex,Smithfield, North Carolina, with the following membersPresent Norman C Denning, Chairman, James W Cash, Vice Chairman, Jerry F Wood,Eleanor N Creech, Cookie Pope, Thomas M Moore, and James H Langdon, JrAbsent NoneAlso Present Richard B Self, County Manager and Joyce H Ennis, Clerk to the BoardChairman Norman C Denning called the meeting to order and the following business wastransacted1 Land Application of Bio- SolidsChairman Denning stated that this meeting is solely for the purpose of better educating both theBoard and the citizens of Johnston County about land application of bio- solids It is not a public hearing,however those present will be given the opportunity to ask questions once the presentations have beenmade He announced that three of the four applications by the Town of Benson for special use permits toland apply bio- solids in the vicinity of Benson have been withdrawn Case 280 is the only remaining casebefore the BoardCounty Manager Richard Self asked Engineer Tim Broome to introduce the panel of experts onbio- solidsMr Broome introduced Dr A R Rubin, professor of Bio - mechanical and Agriculturalengineering at NC State University; Robert H Forbes, Jr, PE, project manager- bio- solids with CH2MHill in Charlotte; Michael Allen, PE, Non - discharge Permitting Branch, Division of Water Quality, NCDept of Environment, Health Natural Resources; and Robert ODette, PE with Environmental WastesRecycling, IncRobert ODette with EWR, Inc stated he is a strong advocate of recycling, and the practice ofreturning nutrients to the environment by land applying bio- solids makes sense Modern wastewatertreatment plants do a very good job of treating wastewater, leaving the residual sludge as far removedfrom the original product as premium gasoline is from raw petroleum Bio - solids are regulated and safeand are a benefit to the farmer, as well as the entire community, as they are potentially less harmful thanmany commercial fertilizers Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA, after many years of extensive researchand study, developed a manual of standards and guidelines pertaining to this operation, known as the 503Regulations These strict regulations assure that land application of bio- solids in the United States is asafe practiceMike Allen with the NC DEHNR noted that North Carolina has been issuing permits for landapplication of bio- solids for 25 years The program is very active and over 100,000 acres have beenapproved for this procedure across the State The permitting process requires extensive soil testing anddocumentation certifying that the sludge is neither hazardous nor toxic Once the permit is approved, theland application can only be carried out by a certified operator who has completed training at NCSURobert Forbes, explained he has worked with different methods of waste disposal over the years,and 90 of the time, land application is the best answer The process is safe and economical, both for theperson disposing of the bio- solids, and for the farmer He pointed out the crop return on land that has hadland application is traditionally above averageDr Bob Rubin gave a brief history of land application of bio- solids in the United States since thebeginning of the 1900s Over the years, the process has been improved as counties and municipalitieshave improved the treatment of their wastewater Anything that is potentially harmful is being removedfrom the waste stream when it goes through the treatment plant He noted the States regulations are evenmore strict than the federal guidelines in the EPAs 503 regulations The training program for operatorsis an added assurance that this process is carried out safely717Serena Honeycutt, a registered nurse who lives near one of the original properties considered forland application, voiced her concerns She asked several questions about the qualifications of theoperators, the amount of soil testing and water sampling that is done, and whether this process is usuallydone where there are nearby wells She wanted to know what her recourse would be if there wereproblemsEric Mills, engineer representing the Town of Benson, stated the Town would be responsibleAnyone who had a problem could call the State, and someone would be sent out immediately to check onthe situation It was explained that since the product is usually applied to farm land, it is almost alwaysin rural areas where residential wells are nearbyShelby Stephenson stated she was told by EPA officials that the testing is done by the individualswho generate the waste Dr Rubin noted this is true, however the frequency of the testing is dictated, andall tests have to be sent to a certified lab Mr Forbes stated the persons doing the tests have to sign astatement and are subject to a fine andor prison time if they falsify any test results In response to aquestion about the possibility of diseases, Mr Forbes commented there have been no documentedproblems Dr Rubin added that blood samples of people who live near land application sites have beentaken, and no blood borne pathogens were foundSeveral other concerned citizens asked the panelists the reason for certain regulations concerningrestrictive uses for these properties following land application It was explained the regulations are verystringent and ultra conservative in order to completely assure safety Property line buffers are requiredto make sure other peoples land is not affectedGlenn Tart, representing a number of the concerned citizens, cited several articles that did notsupport this process He quoted comments questioning EPAs regulations and the reliability oftheir testingof chemicals He voiced special concern about dioxin and the effect of heavy metals on ground water Hestressed he was not so concerned about immediate problems, but was looking at 30 to 40 years down theroadPanelists responded that the practice of land applying bio- solids is considered safe not only byEPA and the State of NC, but also the National Science Foundation North Carolina conducted its ownstudy, independent of the EPA, and found the process safe The EPAs 503 regulations were notestablished until after 15 years of extensive study and testing had been done In conclusion, with themodern treatment of wastewater, the resulting sludge is safe; and with the required permitting, regulatedtesting, and proper application practices, land application of bio- solids is a safe processOthers who participated in the discussion and asked questions were Bernard Wood, Mike Stancil,Ben McLamb, and Kyle HoneycuttIn response to the concern that a future administration in Benson might decide to surface applyinstead of inject bio- solids, the Board noted that if the permit is approved, a condition can be added tostipulate that the injection method only would be allowedFollowing further discussion, Chairman Norman Denning suggested those present might like tovisit a site where land application is being done He asked Mr Broome to coordinate with Mr Allen andarrange a visit that would be open to any citizens who wished to observe this process first handThe Chairman thanked everyone for coming There being no further business, Commissioner JerryF Wood moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion, which carried byunanimous voteNorman C Denning, ChairmanJoyce K Ennis, ClerkDetailsAnnotationsEntry PropertiesModified11192013 125334 PMCreated3242003 24416 PMTemplateMinutesFieldsMinutes - TypeSpecialMinutes - Date1271998Book20