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I~xl~1B1T I~ <br />Bio-Salida Deal <br />Qrange County is among the top five North Carolina counties in terms o acreage <br />on which wastewater treatment bio-solids is applied. The Gounty receives bio- <br />solids from wastewater treatment plants operated by Hillsborough and Qrange <br />Water and Sewer Authority ~01NASA} in the County, from Mebane and Burlington <br />in Alamance County and from the City of Durham in Durham County. Some of <br />this application occurs in critical watersheds. <br />The process of land applying liquefied bio-solids is regulated by the NC Division <br />of Water Quality under US Environmental Protection Agency ~USEPA} <br />regulations, policies and guidelines under a primacy agreement with the USEPA. <br />Bio~solids are generally applied to agricultural land primarily land used far active <br />livestock grazing or growing of forage crops} at "agronomic" rates. Agronomic <br />rates in this case indicate that the bio-solids are applied such that its <br />nitrogenlphosphorous content is consistent with the rate of application of <br />standard fertilizers. Unlike commercial fertilizers, however, bio.solids containing <br />industrial wastes t ical of municipal wastewater treatment systems usually <br />Yp <br />contain a number of potentially harmful heavy metals cadmium, chromium, <br />arsenic, lead, mercury}, synthetic and volatile organic compounds ~SC~C's and <br />VC~C's} as well as some level of active pathogenic organisms typical of human <br />waste residues. <br />The land application of bio-solids to agricultural lands is exempt -~ as both a <br />"discharge" wastewater treatment activity and an agricultural activity -- from <br />approval, regulation, enforcement or effective oversight by County land, <br />environmental protection or health regulation. Yet potential effects to the health <br />of nearby residents that are associated with aerosol or surface and ground water <br />contamination are woefully un~ or under-studied by the EPA or the Center for <br />Disease Control. Residents of Orange County that live nearby to bio_solids <br />application sites are fearful of risks to their health and have at least anecdotally <br />re orted a hi her incidence of health and nuisance problems to the Board of <br />P g <br />County Commissioners. <br />