Sludge Responsible for Cattle Deaths

http://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/062403/lat_sludge.shtml

JURY: AUGUSTA RESPONSIBLE FOR CATTLE DEATHS Web posted Tuesday, June 24,
2003
By Robert Pavey | Staff Writer Jurors concluded today that the city of Augusta's sewage sludge
was responsible for cattle deaths and property damage at a Burke Conty dairy farm.

But the victory for Boyceland Dairy and members of the Boyce family was bittersweet: jurors
awarded the family only $550,000 - a mere fraction of the $12.5 million in damages sought by
the plaintiffs. "We won the case, but lost the farm," said a tearful Carolyn Boyce, who hugged
her husband, Bill Boyce, and other family members after the verdict was delivered shortly before
noon. Jurors heard two weeks of testimony - mostly from the plaintiffs' witnesses - in the
Superior Court civil trial, then deliberated eight hours Monday without reaching a verdict. After
words of encouragement by Judge Carlisle Overstreet, who warned that failure to decide the
case would require a future retrial, the panel resumed their deliberations at 10 a.m. An hour
later, a note was delivered to the bailiff, who advised that a verdict had been reached. "We've
always known, all along, that we were right," Mr. Boyce said. "We didn't make this up. We know
exactly what happened to the cows." However, he added, the jury's finding for the plaintiffs in
the amount of $550,000 was a disappointment. "We appreciate the jury and all they've done," he
said. "But the farm has been very much damaged. It will be hard to stay in business after all
that's gone on." The Boyces contended that the city's sewage sludge, applied to their land as
free fertilizer in the 1980s and 1990s, contained heavy metals that eventually contaminated feed
grown in their pastures. Those metals, they contended, weakened immune systems in cattle
from their dairy herd, contributing to what some witnesses described as "unprecedented"
mortality with no apparent cause. The city's defense team, which rested its case on Friday after
calling only two of its 10 witnesses, contended the problems were linked to poor management
by the Boyce family and common cow ailments, such as Johne's disease. Jim Ellison, who led
the city's defense in the case, did not say whether the city would appeal the verdict. --From the
Tuesday, June 24, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle

sludge was toxic doctor testifies

Sludge was toxic, doctor testifies

Web posted Monday, June 16, 2003
By Robert Pavey | Staff Writer

A veterinarian who worked with cattle at Boyceland Dairy for 19 years
told jurors Monday that the
onset of sickness and death in the Burke County herd was nothing short
of "catastrophic."

Dr. William B. Pritchard, of
Louisville, Ga., testified throughout
much of the sixth day of trial in a
$12.5 million lawsuit in which
members of the Boyce family
contend their cattle and land were
poisoned by sewage sludge.

The sludge, a byproduct of
wastewater treatment at the city's
Messerly plant, was supposed to be a
free, beneficial fertilizer - but instead
contained toxic metals that poisoned
land and cattle, the lawsuit contends.

Dr. Pritchard said 71 percent of
cattle tested showed high to toxic
levels of zinc, and 38 percent
revealed high to toxic levels of copper
- all of which he attributed to cattle
feed grown in sludge-treated
pastures.

The city of Augusta denies the claims
and contends the Boyces' problems
are linked to poor farming management practices and various dairy cattle
illnesses including Johne's
Disease.

Under cross-examination by Jim Ellison, one of Augusta's defense
lawyers, Dr. Pritchard
acknowledged that Johne's Disease - characterized by chronic wasting
symptoms - was detected in
the Boyce herd as early as 1993.

However, he added that the disease, in his opinion, was not present at
the Boyce farm in significant
volumes - and that the cause of death and sickness in the cattle was
sewage sludge.

Also Monday - in a hearing outside the presence of jurors - Mr. Ellison
complained to Judge Carlisle
Overstreet that the plaintiffs' witnesses were violating a pre-trial
order by making inappropriate
references to a second lawsuit filed against Augusta by another dairy -
R.A. McElMurray & Sons of
Hephzibah.

Judge Overstreet told the plaintiffs' legal team to instruct their
witnesses to avoid any references to
the other lawsuit, which contains similar allegations over
sludge-related cattle deaths, but has not been
tried.

Augusta farmer - city sewage killed his cows

Augusta farmer says city sewage killed his
cows

The Associated Press - AUGUSTA, Ga.

A dairy farmer who decided to fertilize his land with
sewage sludge is
now suing the city, saying the muck poisoned hundreds
of his cows.

Bill Boyce has had a deal with Augustas Messerly
Wastewater plant
since 1986 to spread sludge on his fields as free
fertilizer.

The practice is common, but Boyce is now suing the
city. The dairy
farmer wants more than $12.5 million in damages
because he said the
sewage was not properly tested before being spread on
his land.

The owner of Boyceland Dairy testified Wednesday. He
said his cows
began getting sick and producing less milk. In 1998,
Boyce said, he lost
140 of 640 cows _ a mortality rate of 22 percent.

Augusta officials deny doing anything wrong at Boyces
farm.

Information from: The Augusta Chronicle

Pathogen Transport and Survival

Australia has done an assessment of on-site sewage systems.
On-site Sewage Management Risk Assessment
System
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_osras.asp
Those on this listserv may find the section on Pathogen Transport and
Survival of particular interest.

Pathogen Transport and Survival
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/septicsafe/OSRAS_165-172.pdf

Landfills best solution for sewer sludge

Thursday, June 5, 2003

Study: Landfills are best solution for sewer sludge

BY ROBERT J. SMITH

Friday, May 30, 2003

ROGERS — A consultant told the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority on Thursday that disposing of sludge in a
landfill is the best short-term option.

Clyde Burnett, a consultant with Little Rock engineering firm Carter-Burgess, suggested the board consider building a facility
west of Springdale where sludge could be stabilized by adding lime. "The lime kills the pathogens," Burnett said. "It’s killing
bacteria so it’s not a health hazard."

After the sludge is stabilized, it would be available for a number of uses. Trucking it to the Arkansas River Valley and
spreading it on fields is one possibility, Burnett said.

Burnett estimated a regional sludge processing facility could cost $2.3 million to build. Trucks, trailers and other equipment
needed to transport sludge from sewer treatment plants would total another $1.8 million, and annual operations and
maintenance would be $2.2 million, he said.

The conservation authority paid $45,000 to complete its study.

Sludge is a semisolid material that’s left after sewage flows through a wastewater treatment plant.

The engineering firm’s recommendation comes as authority members from Rogers and Springdale are trying to determine how
to best dispose of sludge in the long term. Both cities currently apply the watery material to fields where hay and other crops
are grown.

That practice has been called into question because sludge contains phosphorus, a substance that at high levels can cause
degradation of streams. Oklahoma officials have pressured Northwest Arkansas cities and Arkansas’ poultry industry to do
more to keep phosphorus out of Northwest Arkansas streams, many of which flow into Oklahoma.

The poultry industry contributes phosphorus to the environment when excess litter from poultry houses is spread to fertilize
crops.

Benton and Washington county sewage treatment plants produce 28.6 dry tons of sludge a day. The biggest cities —
Springdale, Fayetteville and Rogers — account for 24.9 dry tons of that.

Burnett didn’t recommend the cheapest disposal option he researched. Composting would have cost far less — $18 per dry
ton — than the lime stabilization process at $34 per dry ton.

Burnett didn’t recommend the composting option because he doesn’t believe there’s enough of a market for the material, he
said.

Lynne Moss ofAustin, Texasbased Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. helped Burnett evaluate what could be done with the
sludge.

She said Waste Management Inc. has expressed interest in using a compost material as cover for its Tontitown landfill.
Landfill operators cover buried trash with soil at the end of each day, and the dried sludge-lime combination could replace the
soil that’s used, Burnett said.

Most Arkansas cities with sewer plants get rid of sludge by applying it to farmland or by disposing of it in landfills.

There are other options, according to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Hot Springs, Eureka Springs,
Bentonville and Cherry Valley, which is south of Jonesboro, are among the few cities in the state that turn a portion of their
sludge into a composting material, said Doug Szenher, a spokesman for the state environmental agency. Bentonville’s material
sells for $12 per cubic yard, Burnett said.

Several Northwest Arkansas cities have found new ways to dispose of their sludge.

Siloam Springs and Springdale pay Roll Off Services of Springdale to transport sludge to Oklahoma landfills. Some of
Springdale’s sludge goes to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site north of Joplin, Mo., where it’s used as
part of a land reclamation project.

Fayetteville is among cities that apply sludge to fields, but it plans to end that practice in June or July, said Greg Boettcher, the
city’s public works director. High phosphorus levels on the acreage where the city spreads sludgeare among the reasons the
city plans to begin trucking its sludge to the BFI Landfill in Porter, Okla.