Biosolids

Contents

• About Biosolids
• Regulations
• Local Government Programs
• Additional Information Resources and Technical Assistance

About Biosolids

Biosolids are sewage sludge that is a primarily organic, semisolid product resulting from the wastewater treatment process, that can be beneficially recycled and meets all applicable requirements under WAC 173-308. Biosolids includes material derived from biosolids, and septic tank sludge, also known as septage, that can be beneficially recycled and meets all applicable requirements under this chapter. For the purposes of WAC 173-308, semisolid products include biosolids or products derived from biosolids ranging in character from mostly liquid to fully dried solids. [From DOE Web Page].

• Biosolids: A Recycled Organic Fertilizer - Washington State University
• Frequently Asked Questions About Biosolids - Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management
• Biosolids - Washington State Department of Ecology

Regulations

The disposal and application of biosolids is regulated by the federal and state governments to protect human health and the environment.

Federal Regulations

• EPA Office of Waste Water Management Biosolids, includes rules and proposed rules
• Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge 40 CFR 503 (Amended by August 4, 1999 Regulations)
• A Plain English Guide to the EPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule, EPA/832/R-93/003 September 1994.
• Guide to the Biosolids Risk Assessments for the EPA Part 503 Rule, EPA/832-B-93-005, September 1995
• Guidance For Controlling Potential Risks To Workers Exposed to Class B Biosolids National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2002

State Regulations

• Department of Ecology Biosolids Home Page  - Includes guidelines, permits, etc.
• WAC 173-308 (WSR 98-05-101) - Biosolids Management
• Biosolids Management Guidelines for Washington State - Washington State Department of Ecology Publication #93-80, Revised July 2000
• Washington State Department of Ecology Biosolids Permitting

Washington Local Government Programs

• Everett Biosolids in Everett
• Forks and Port Angeles Agreement for Biosolids Beneficial Use (), 3-02
• King County Biosolids Recycling
• Omak Biosolids Management Program () - National Biosolids Partnership
• Snoqualmie Waste Water Facility
  • Biosolid Fact Sheet - Falls-Grow Soil Nutrients from Snoqualmie ()
  • City’s Fallsgro Biosolids Now Available for Public Use, Press Release, 3-15-10
• Spokane County Public Works Fact Sheet #4- Biosolids Management ()
• Tacoma TAGRO - TAGRO  is a nutrient-rich soil conditioner made from biosolids, an organic by-product of the city's treated wastewater.
• Yakima Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility -  Annual Biosolids Report

Additional Information Resources and Technical Assistance

• Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices, Committee on Toxicants and Pathogens in Biosolids Applied to Land, National Research Council, National Academies Press, 2002
• Biosolids Facts (Lists Uses) -  Northwest Biosolids Management Association
• Biosolids Management - Organic Farming Systems and Nutrient Management -  WSU Extension, Puyallup
• Cornell Waste Management Institute - Sewage Sludge
• Hybrid Poplar and the Soil, written by Mark Swanson as a final project for University of Washington College of Forest Resources class, ESC 410- Forest Soils and Productivity, taught by Dr. Rob Harrison, 1997.
• Manual of Good Practice for Biosolids  - National Biosolids Partnership,  January 2005 (updated)
• National Biosolids Partnership  - The program is operated by the Water Environment Federation (WEF), in collaboration with the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and local and regional biosolids management organizations across the U.S. and Canada with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The NBP serves as the information clearinghouse on effective biosolids practices and offers an EMS-based certification program that requires participating organizations to go beyond regulatory requirements.
• Northwest Biosolids Management Association
  • Online Library
• Northeast Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA)
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection -  Biosolids Program 
• Slinging Sludge, by Mari Margil, Planning, August/September 2010 MRSC Library Loan
• Washington State Department of Ecology  -  Biosolids Home Page
• U.S. EPA Office of Wastewater Management -  Biosolids

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