Tamaqua Borough Council member Cathy Miorelli has raised concerns about the dumping of sewage sludge on land drained by a stream that feeds the Still Creek Reservoir, the local drinking water supply,
according to the Times News. The land in question is in Carbon County's Packer Township.
Miorelli's experience in trying to bring the problem to the attention of the proper authorities illustrates why many area citizens have little faith in government regulators.
After she learned about a "brown substance" piling up on the land in question, Miorelli called the state Department of Environmental Protection's complaint hotline and spoke with Tim Craven, according to the paper. Asked whether the dumping was permitted, Craven -- who is DEP's
Northeast regional biosolids coordinator -- said he didn't know, and that "it would be difficult for him to find out," she said.
Craven eventually called the farmer, who reportedly said the material was lime. Craven then told Miorelli to call the farmer and verify that it was in fact lime. She told him she didn't think that was her job and requested an inspection. He said he would "really hate to do that," she told the paper.
Then on April 2, Miorelli got a phone call from Craven, who told her that it was in fact "biosolid material," and that it had come from Phillipsburg, N.J. On April 10, officials with the DEP and Tamaqua Borough and Water Authority met at the property in question but declined to check the feeder stream. The paper reports:
Mayor Christian Morrison took issue with the fact that the DEP officials apparently lied and did not perform the appropriate inspections.
"This community has lost faith in DEP and this just doesn't help,'' he said.
It would be interesting to know where specifically in Phillipsburg the material comes from. The town is home to
Hydropress, a company that
processes sewage sludge from New York City and elsewhere into materials spread on farmlands. In 2003, the company sued Pennsylvania's Upper Mount Bethel Township over an ordinance requiring sludge dumpers to pay a fee for road improvements and a substantial bond to ensure compliance with local regulations; the Pennsylvania Supreme Court eventually
ruled that townships do not have the authority to impose such regulations.
Despite the high court's ruling, Tamaqua as well as neighboring Rush Township, where Hometown is located, have passed similar restrictions on dumping. So has nearby East Brunswick Township, which is now having its regulations
challenged by State Attorney General Tom Corbett, who formerly served as an attorney for sludge hauler Waste Management Inc.
Labels: DEP, dumping, public health, sludge, Still Creek Reservoir
