Local company sells sludge to other counties

Local company sells sludge to other counties

Updated 03/28/05
BAKERSFIELD - The bid by Synagro Technologies to build a new biosolids processing plant near Taft created controversy earlier this month, and it turned the spotlight briefly on an ancient technology that is increasing demand in today’s modern world.

Composting, the ancient manipulation of decomposition, is a conversion of raw organic wastes into fertilizer.

Leaves, grass clippings, food wastes, animal manure, and even sewage sludge can be used to make compost.

The decaying material creates heat, which kills harmful pathogens.

The end product is a nutrient-rich soil amendment widely used in agriculture and landscaping in the valley,

For 16 years, McCarthy Family Farms near Lost Hills has been making compost.

CEO Wilson Nolan runs the farm’s subsidiary, San Joaquin Composting, the only composting site in the county permitted to accept biosolids.

Most of their sludge, an estimated 406,000 tons for this whole year, comes from outside the county.

“We track every load in terms of its source, and make sure there's a chemical analysis on file for every source of material that comes on site,” said Nolan.

Sludge is processed over a 15-day treatment period.

Huge machines mix and turn windrows to control moisture and heat content.

A minimum temperature of 131 degrees is required to kill the bad bugs commonly found in sewage sludge.

The facility accepts all types of sludge, not just Class A.

The county’s ban on land application of Class B biosolids doesn’t apply at San Joaquin Composting.

“We don't land-apply so we're not affected by the county's land application ban.” said Nolan. “Eighty-eight percent of the compost made here leaves the county.”

San Joaquin Composting makes its money in tipping fees from sewer districts for accepting the waste, and by selling the finished product, mostly to farmers.

“We produce about 160,000 tons of high-quality product a year,” said Nolan.

The process will soon change at San Joaquin Composting.

New air quality regulations will one day force the company to reduce emissions that contribute to smog.

Plans are in place for expensive upgrades that will put the entire process in-doors.

In the meantime, Sen. Dean Florez is pushing ahead with his bill that if passed, would ban the exporting of biosolids by one county to another. Florez said county policies have turned Kern County into a dumping ground for sludge. If his bill becomes law, it could put his business out of business.

Nolan agrees with Florez’s heightened awareness of the biosolids management controversy, and he said he welcomes added scrutiny of how the county handles treated human waste.

TV-17 will be focusing on the Florez bill and other key biosolids issues Thursday at 7 p.m. in an hour-long discussion featuring leading experts in the field from both sides of the fence. Some of our guests will be coming to Bakersfield form the East Coast to discuss the issue.

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