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Yl 'C' C7 ~ t`3'a a1 ~ I c~Y'"1 y~ °~... YY"1 <br />4°~~~y yea7~~ <br />~ ~ <br />c M'° <br />°' <br />ca o <br />' <br />~' <br />U u <br />' UlJ <br />° ,~ MEMORANDUM <br />~~ <br /> <br />NoHh Carolina Pubitc Health To: Laura Blackmon, County Manager <br /> From: Rosemary Stmllners, Health Director <br /> Date: March 10, 2008 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />HEALTH DEPARTMENT Re: Biosolids Program in Orange County <br /> CC: David Stancil, Environment & Resource Conservation Director <br />Rosemary ~. Summers, Gwen Harvey, Assistant County Manager <br />MPH, DrPH Willie Best, Assistant County Manager <br />Health Director Tom Konsler, Environmental Health Services Director <br />Richard E. Whiffed Human Board of Health <br />Services Center <br />300 West Tryon Street <br />Post Office Box 8181 <br />Hillsborough, Nc 27278 <br />In response to questions that may arise from some of the public comment at the <br />Phone: (919) 245-2411 BOCC meeting last night, I thought it might be helpful to outline the level of <br />Fax: (919) 644-3007 county involvement in the application of biosolids in Orange County. <br />www. co.orange.nc, us/hea/th <br /> <br /> Biosolids are the digested and treated solids that result from the wastewater <br />o sewage treatment plant process. This byproduct contains a significant amount of <br /> nutrients that are beneficial to plants and are commonly land-applied to <br /> agricultural fields as a useable resource. There are regulations and a permitting <br />Central Administrative process that govern this practice due to the potential for adverse environmental or <br />services public health effects if it were otherwise unregulated. There are two classes of <br /> biosolids, Class "A" and Class "B". All of the utilities in this area produce Class <br />Dental Health Services B biosolids. Some, such as OWASA are considering a higher level of treatment to <br /> meet Class A standards. This would reduce some of the regulatory requirements, <br /> pose a lower risk to the environment, and may improve public acceptance of the <br />Environmental Health <br />Services practice. <br />Health Promotion and The state Division of Water Quality (DWQ) in the Department of Environment <br />Education services and Natural Resources has regulatory and permitting authority for: <br /> • wastewater systems that apply treated waste to the ground surface, <br /> • treatment plants (both public and private) that discharge to surface waters, <br />Personal Health Services <br />and <br /> • biosolid sites. <br /> The rules that govern biosolids are adopted by the North Carolina Environmental <br />o Management Commission. <br /> Orange County is one of only a handful of counties that have any local <br />~ involvement in the oversight of biosolids activities. In the early 1990's the <br />306-C Revere Road ~ <br />PO Box 8181 Orange County Board of Health adopted an expansion of the wastewater system <br />Hillsborough, Nc 27278 = regulations to include local monitoring and reporting of several system types <br /> permitted through DWQ. This Waste Treatment Management Program (WTMP) <br />~ <br />Phone: (919) 245-2360 a administered by the Environmental Health Services staff of the Health <br />FAX: (919) 644-3006 ~ <br />0 <br />C:\Documents and Settings\gwilder\Local Settings\Temporary Internet <br />w :iosolids Summary 031008.doc <br />