Boorowa Council has received confidential information concerning the use of Biosolids in the Local Government Area, Mayor Cr Wendy Tuckerman has said.
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At the last Council Meeting such information was tabled as ‘commercial in confidence’ and therefore not available to the public.
However, Council is extremely concerned over the use of Biosolids in the Boorowa Local Government Area and will be pursuing specifics concerns with the Department, particularly the totally inadequate information contained in the Review of Environmental Factors submitted for Council’s information.
Cr Tuckerman stated that “Council is very concerned of the possible pollution of waterways, the accumulation of heavy metals, possible presence of organophosphates, poor risk assessment used in the review of environmental factors and in particular the whole assessment process for distribution of these materials”.
“Local Government has no control over this process even though it could cause considerable issues in our Local Government Area,” she said.
What are biosolids?
Biosolids are primarily the nutrient-rich organic solid material produced by the municipal waste-water treatment process, previously referred to as sewage sludge. Wastewater solids become biosolids when they are stabilised by digestion or other treatment process and can be beneficially used in agriculture as either a liming agent or fertiliser.
Biosolids products that are rich in nutrients can be beneficially used as a soil conditioner for land application. Landholders often seek alternatives to conventional fertiliser and want a product that offers a competitive price and value for money. Biosolids offer landholders high levels of organic matter, as well as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and other nutrients essential for plant and crop growth. Biosolids also contribute to soil properties such as structure, moisture retention, moisture content and cation exchange capacity. The nutrients in biosolids are slow release with 15–25% of the N and P becoming available in the first year and the remainder over subsequent years.
Research has shown that biosolids used according to the NSW Guidelines can help to improve soil quality and subsequent crop yields over time.
Biosolids can also contain low levels of heavy metals and pathogens. It is important that these meet the requirements set out in the current NSW Guidelines. Prior to any land application an environmental impact assessment is necessary to assess its suitability for biosolids application. The assessment is a mandatory part of the biosoil program and is undertaken by Sydney Water and NSW DPI staff.
-Source: NSW Department of Primary Industries.
