Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
We all love our acronyms in this day and age so I will use one for part II of the biosolids article (The News Article No One Wants To Read).  Last week I focused on biosolids just being nutrients.  The same nutrients that make up our bodies, our food, our clothing, etc.  To my knowledge, we don’t ever really gain or lose nutrients.  They just move from form to form. 
​
Biosolids can be controversial, as with a lot of things, but if we can just get them put back on the ground for use in their next form, that is probably the best place for them.  The Penn State Extension newsletter* referred to at the end of this article says it best, “Three viable options now exist for disposal or use of this sludge: landfill placement; incineration; and recycling through application to farm, forest, or mine land. Although each of these options has its place, recycling efforts have increased in recent years because of growing recognition that our society cannot afford to throw away the valuable resources in sewage sludge (biosolids).”  

Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
I have batted around the idea to write an article on this for quite some time.  It is quite controversial, to say the least.  Not only is it controversial, but it will probably “lean” away from the direction most people would like it to.  Sorry.  The topic, biosolids.
I had the idea a couple months ago to write an article on this subject.  As I started my research, I got wind of some negative things going on around the county and I chickened out.  Last week I received a letter in the mail asking me to write one on the subject.  Part of my job is education; educating the general public on all things conservation oriented.  I started to do some research on the subject so I could give you the best information that I could.  Wow is there a lot to this.  I will have to consolidate as much as I can.

Glenn Bell, Ag Resource Specialist BCCD
Did you know that our state leads the nation in the number of farms and acres permanently preserved for agricultural production?  The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program was created to add resilience to Pennsylvania’s agricultural economy by protecting prime farmland. Through this program, state and county governments (sometimes federal) can purchase conservation easements on farmland which prevents the land from ever being developed. Since its start in 1988, Pennsylvania has preserved roughly 6,400 farms totaling 645,000 acres. 

Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
The last two articles on this subject where about “what we do” and “how we do it”.  I have ran into a couple instances in just the last couple weeks where it has come up that the process we must go through apparently needs to be explained also.  I say all the time, “we work at the speed of government”.  For anyone who may be confused by what that means, it is painfully slow.  Nothing happens quickly.  We have people stop down on a regular basis and are like, “I need a facility for my animals, and I need it built in “x” timeframe”.  Um, that is not the way it works through this office.  First off, you need to have an environmental issue.  You need to be in a position of potentially polluting the Waters of the Commonwealth.  We can debate whether this is the way it should be done or not, but the fact is, this is the way the programs work.  The higher the chances are that it is polluting something, the better your chances of getting help.

Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
The article I wrote the other day talked a little bit about what we do here.  To expand on this, here is a little bit more information.  (Disclaimer- This is how I understand it.  It is very close to correct, but may not be exactly right with some government agency out there somewhere.)  In 1985, it was determined that the Chesapeake Bay was in trouble.  The issues were dead zones created by excess algal blooms.  The algal blooms themselves are not the cause of the dead zones.  What is, is the fact that when all those algae die, it sucks all the oxygen out of the water as it decomposes.  Just like us, most living organisms need oxygen.  No oxygen, no life (dead zone).  What is the reason for the bigger and bigger algal blooms?  Excess nutrients and sediment in the water.  Those nutrients and sediment are coming from upstream (us).