The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is planning to hold a public hearing on a request for a permit to create a sewage sludge-producing facility southeast of Columbus “due to citizen request.”
However, the time, date and location for the hearing have yet to be determined, state officials said.
The hearing comes as IDEM considers a request from Evan Daily of Biocycle LLC to accept dewatered biosolids for blending and use on farmland in Bartholomew and several neighboring counties. Biosolids are organic materials produced during the treatment of human sewage at wastewater treatment plants.
It also comes after dozens of local residents — including officials with Otter Creek Golf Course and Cera Sports Park and Campground —expressed concerns about the proposed facility. The concerns range from the possible adverse environmental effects of the facility to the impact of the smell that the facility could generate on nearby residences and recreational activities.
IDEM spokesman Barry Sneed said that no decision has been made on the permit application.
“Due to citizen request, IDEM is in the process of planning a public meeting and hearing for the permit,” Sneed said. “…Following the hearing, IDEM will need time to review the final hearing transcript and address comments.”
IDEM will announce the date, time and location of the hearing on its website, idem.in.gov, Sneed said.
The request for the public hearing, submitted by two local residents, alleges that not all landowners next to sites where the biosolids would be applied were “not aware (of the proposal) in a timely manner and likely would not have been able to make well thought-out public comments within the comment period,” which ended in late January.
“It would be helpful to have a public hearing to allow for potential further comments be recorded to the official public comment record,” according to the request, which was submitted by Paul and Linda Peterson. “People whose voices have not been heard have several legally valid comments which may help IDEM make a more informed decision regarding the permit approval or rejection.”
According to the proposal, the biosolids will be mixed when they arrive and placed in an area sectioned off by interlocking concrete blocks that allow access for sampling before land application. Once the desired amount is reached in the holding area, the blend will be sampled and tested to determine land application rate.
The structure Daily wants to build would have a concrete base with concrete walls on three sides, according to his application. The south side of the building, which will be open for truck access, will have a trench drain across the opening with a runoff holding tank. The application states the holding area for biosolids will be 85 feet wide by 100 feet long, with a holding capacity of 46,750 cubic feet.
However, the sewage sludge may emit a distinctive odor depending on the treatment process and methods used. The odorous compounds generated and detected are most often ammonia, amines and reduced sulfur-containing compounds, according to the EPA.
Meteorological conditions such as wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and temperature can impact nuisance odors, according to the agency website. The EPA states the odors do not mean that the biosolids pose harm to human health and the environment.
The application of sewage sludge on farms in Bartholomew County is not new, though it has been a subject of controversy in the past.
The most recent proposal for the sewage sludge-producing facility has drawn significant public interest. Overall, IDEM said around 80 people have submitted comments on the proposed facility so far.
The Republic has obtained copies of all the public comments. Nearly all of the comments have been against the proposed facility.
Most of the comments were submitted by people who live near the site of the proposed facility or land where the biosolids would be applied. They largely raised concerns about the potential adverse environmental impact of the facility, including fears that local officials will not be able to filter out PFAS from the biosolids before applying them on farmland.
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are long-lasting and highly toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses. Wastewater treatment plants can receive discharges that contain the substances. As a result, researchers have found PFAS in treated biosolids, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Several commenters raised concerns about the proximity of local business, schools and recreational facilities to the sewage-sludge facility. Some commenters speculated on whether the potential smell from the biosolids could reach Rock Creek Elementary School or Clifty Creek Elementary School.
Officials with Otter Creek Gold Course and Cera Sports Park and Campground submitted public comments, expressing concerns that the smell could adversely impact their operations.
Bob Haddad, owner of Otter Creek Golf Course, submitted a letter to IDEM, raising concerns about a “lack of transparency” about the project, as well as “probable adverse impact to soil, surface water, ground water and air quality in the surrounding area an even beyond” — including the golf course.
Otter Creek Golf Course is about one mile north of the proposed facility.
“Simply put — we are not in favor of this project and strongly urge you to deny the application,” Haddad wrote in a public comment dated Jan. 23, referring to hundreds of people who have signed an online petition on change.org against the proposed facility. “…Additionally, there are two elementary schools within two to three miles of the proposed sewage sludge facility. And at least two important businesses, Cera Sports Park and Campground and Otter Creek Golf Course, which have provided outdoor recreational enjoyment for area residents for the past 60 years and continue to serve over 325,000 residents and visitors each year, will also be adversely affected.”
As of Friday morning, 875 people had signed the petition.
James “Jim” Kreutzjans, president and executive director of the sports park, said he is concerned that the facility could “add fear to visiting” Cera Sports Park and Campground due to the smell and asked IDEM to place the permit on hold.
Cera, which also is located one mile away from the proposed facility, hosts 40 USSSA youth baseball and softball tournaments, has a campground with 350 campsites and campers, a community baseball league, as well as Kids Youth Camp, generating “well over $60 million” to the tourism industry in Bartholomew County, Kreutzjans said in a public comment.
“Parents, children, grandparents and siblings will be exposed to the visual, smell and health hazards of the transportation of these waste products,” Kreutzjans wrote in a public comment dated Jan. 23. “Also, as mentioned, we have been told by experience that the smell associated with the biosolids is not sustainable to breathe at a comfortable level. We fear that this biosolids facility will add fear to visiting CERAland and the impact could be severe.”
“As a community facility, we were only made aware of this project via the media two weeks ago,” Kreutzjans added. “Please place this permit on hold, as we all may learn more about the impact this may or may not have on the community.”
While almost all the commenters were opposed to the proposed facility, there were still a couple commenters who voiced support for it.
“Indiana needs more facilities like this,” wrote local resident Dennis Tibbetts. “We cannot keep landfilling our valuable fertilizer and using petroleum to make synthetic fertilizer; the planet cannot tolerate it much longer. Of course the NIMBYs are upset. That’s why people at the state level must act.”
NIMBY is a colloquialism referring to people who are opposed to locating something undesirable near their home. The acronym stands for “not in my backyard.”
At the same time, IDEM has requested additional information from Biosolids LLC, including about its site plan and setback distances and how it will prevent nuisance conditions, safety hazards and unauthorized access, among other things, state records show.
In a response to IDEM, Daily said, “the building will be located on private property, over 1,000 feet from a road with a gated locked entrance and posted no trespassing signs. The open end of the building will have a steel cable installed across it as another precaution.” Additionally, the facility will have a locked gate at the drive entrance, Daily said.
IDEM also inquired about Daily’s experience with applying biosolids and any experience he has with collecting and preserving biosolids. Daily told IDEM that he has “11 years of experience with land applying biosolids for Columbus City Utilities.”
“Prior to application, when loading trucks and or spreader at (the) Columbus Wastewater Plant, I would collect a grab sample for the day and place it in a refrigerator or freezer for preservation,” Daily stated in his response to IDEM.
City officials have said the application of sewage sludge on farmland poses a low risk for human health and city’s water supply provided that “everybody follows the protocols they’re supposed to.”
Columbus City Utilities Director Roger Kelso said the risk that biosolids applied to farmland would contaminate the city’s water supply are low provided that IDEM and EPA rules are followed.
“It would be literally like (the odds of) winning the lottery if it would ever cause a problem,” Kelso said. “The probability is (so) low that it just isn’t an issue, as long as we follow our setbacks and things of that nature.”
“All sludge goes through regimen sampling analysis before we are even allowed to let it be land applied,” Kelso added. “…It’s processed sludge. It’s not raw waste.”
