Press Conference on Sewage Sludge
First State Hearing on Sludge to Follow

The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) will hold a press conference at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, at the Alamance Community College (ACC) auditorium, in Burlington, NC. The press conference will take place in the ACC auditorium prior to a public hearing at 7 p.m. concerning the City of Burlington’s permit renewal to apply sewage sludge to farmlands in six counties in NC: Alamance, Chatham, Orange, Guilford, Randolph and Caswell.

The long-awaited hearing is the first state-held public hearing involving the renewal of a municipality’s permit to spread sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is the solids and semi-solids from industrial, medical and household sewage wastes that are separated from wastewater before treated effluent is released into rivers and streams.

Speakers at the press conference will include residents who have been affected by land application of sewage sludge:

• Nancy Holt, founder of Carolina Concerned Citizens, Orange County, NC.

• Barry and Joyce Tomlinson, land owners and retired residents, Snow Camp, NC.

• Matthew Diehl, business and land owner, Graham, NC.

• Brenda Clemmer, resident of the Stagg Creek Subdivision, Mebane, NC.

• Kevin Meehan, Turtle Run Farm, Alamance County, NC

• Charles Sydnor, Braeburn Farm, Snow Camp, NC.

Sludge can contain thousands of compounds that are not completely destroyed by conventional treatment methods at wastewater treatment plants. These include pathogens, heavy metals, industrial pollutants, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and potentially harmful compounds found in personal care products from households. Sludge has been associated with numerous illnesses and health problems, and has contaminated private wells, ground water, rivers and streams.

For more information contact Sue Dayton at: 336-525-2003 or sdayton@swcp.com.

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