REGIONAL BIOSOLIDS AND THE ELMIRA CONNECTION

While biosolids are a significant environmental issue in their own right I hadn't realized the possible direct connection to Elmira. This connection is to our unpopular Woolwich Bio-En facility currently under construction. According to Saturday's Waterloo Region Record one of the possible end uses for bio solids are as a biofuel. The title of the story in Saturday's Record is "Region wants to deal with biosolids here instead of trucking waste away". My understanding of our local bio energy plant is that foodstuffs (and manure?) will be put into a "digester" for the purpose of extracting methane gas. This gas which is extraordinarily similar to natural gas will then be burned to produce heat and electricity. When we are advised that biosolids can be used as a biofuel I'm assuming that is to supplement the methane gas for the production of electricity.

We are also advised that the proposed biosolids plant for Cambridge is to treat sewage sludges from Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge only. The much smaller volumes from the townships, namely North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich will be spread on local farm fields or sold as a fertilizer allegedly. Here is however where my ears perked up. "Biosolids from Elmira will be landfilled because of quality concerns from the industrial waste generated there.". Really? I assume that we are talking about Chemtura aka Uniroyal. Are there any other industrial sources here in Elmira that could possibly rival the industry and manufacturers still left in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge? Even to this day with on-site wastewater treatment at Chemtura, the Elmira treatment plant is still producing unacceptable effluent and sludges? That kind of makes me wonder what is still going down the Canagagigue Creek. Could the DDT recently found downstream somehow be coming from the Elmira sewage treatment plant and if so who is discharging it to the plant as DDT hasn't been produced in decades?