Ranchers in a small rural town in Texas are going to extreme lengths to prevent a neighbor from applying fertilizer containing an unusual substance – human waste.
An application had been submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) by the landowner of over 200 acres in Canton with the goal of scattering biosolids throughout his property.
Fertilizers generated from human waste in wastewater treatment facilities are known as biosolids or sewage sludge.
Since the 1920s, farmers have used biosolids as fertilizer in conjunction with animal manure. However, scientists are now aware that biosolids may contain harmful molecules called PFAS, which are also known as everlasting chemicals.
The synthetic compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have found widespread application in both industrial and consumer goods since the 1940s. The components of PFAS, which are compounds with a long half-life, decompose very slowly.
Several sources, including households, landfills, and businesses, send biosolids to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), some of which may include PFAS. Cancer may develop in humans when exposed to high concentrations of “forever chemicals,” so named for their indestructibility in both the environment and the body. The effects of these chemicals can also kill animals.
A farmer’s usage of biosolids has caused ranchers in Johnson County, Texas, to suffer fish and animal deaths. To address public objections, TCEQ and Denali Water Solutions, the producer of biosolid fertilizer, sent officials to a meeting on July 25.
According to TCEQ, the landowner had fulfilled all legal requirements, even though testing for persistent contaminants in the biosolids is not possible. Many residents felt that the TCEQ should hold off on regulating biosolids until the EPA issued its regulations, which are anticipated later this year.
The state of Maine has already prohibited biosolids.
According to Scott Tuley, the elected commissioner of nearby Henderson County, all forever chemicals are harmful and unnecessary in rural Texas. Wendy Spivey, another Henderson County commissioner, also opposed the biosolid permit.
At the meeting, Canton resident Chris Morris informed Denali Water Solutions’ Gabe Timby that, less than ten miles outside of town, there is a large underground aquifer that is likely the source of water for many of town people’s wells. What they’re planning to place on the soil is dangerous, and there are no guarantees that it won’t destroy the underground water supply. Morris said he was horrified by the thought.
Timby tried to disassociate himself from the situation by saying he wasn’t handling the application process and he couldn’t make rulings about it. In other words, it wasn’t his job, and he couldn’t provide answers. But he did say that, with the supervision of TCEQ, it is always their intention to adhere to the law.
In response to the tremendous public uproar from other counties’ ranchers, the landowner informed WFAA that he intended to revoke the biosolids permit.
More than 40 locations in Texas have already authorized firms like Denali to offer biosolids to landowners, despite public pressure resulting in a victory for the rural town of Canton.
