Concerns over sewage sludge being spread on eastern Ontario farmland

Residents and farmers in the region are concerned about the fact that farm fields across eastern Ontario are quietly soaking up thousands of tonnes of Toronto's sewage sludge each year.

The issue was brought up at the recent federal election candidates' debate in St-Isidore, when a number of concerned farmers and residents took to the podium to ask candidates what their thoughts were on the issue.

While most agreed it was not a "good idea" to spread human sewage sludge on farm fields, their answers left many wondering why this is being allowed to happen in the first place.

"I'm a farmer and I don't think this is right," said Jason Whetung, a farmer in the Cumberland area. "We're talking about human waste here. Manure from animals is one thing, but human waste? People will argue and say it's highly beneficial and nutrient-rich, but I don't think my neighbours would be very happy with me if I started putting that in my fields. And I wouldn't blame them."

A St-Isidore resident told The Review that she is "very concerned" and thinks it is "disgusting" that human waste sludge would be used to fertilize farm fields.

"What is wrong with people?" she remarked. "How could anyone think this is a good idea? What about the safety of drinking water, especially for people on wells? It's disgraceful."

After years of debating whether to spread Ottawa sewage sludge on farm fields, the City of Toronto has signed a contract with Third High Farms of Iroquois to take a minimum of 10,000 tonnes a year of biosolids - the official word for sludge left over from sewage treatment - for a five-year deal ending in 2015.

According to a staff report presented to Toronto councillors in February, the biosolids will be spread on farmland, along with about 45,000 tonnes a year that Third High Farms already accepts from Ottawa sewage treatment.

In addition, a summary of Toronto's sewage issues for that city's public works department shows that tens of thousands of tonnes of Toronto sludge have already been spread somewhere in eastern Ontario under a five-year contract that ends this summer.

When asked where exactly the sludge has been spread, Dean Swerdfeger, of Third High Farms, told media, "Eastern Ontario is from Port Hope to the Quebec border, but subcontracting is mainly done in Kingston and north of Cornwall."

According to provincial guidelines established by the Ministry of the Environment regarding spreading, sludge generated anywhere in the province can be spread anywhere in the province. A change by the ministry this year allows sewage sludge to be regulated as manure rather than as a pollutant.

The practice is widely encouraged by all levels of government, as it provides free fertilizer for farmers and is a good way for cities to rid themselves of sludge.

"This is not a news item," Swerdfeger noted. "It's not a new program."

However, not everyone agrees that spreading biosolids on farm fields across the province is a good idea. For almost a decade, Edwards resident Jim Poushinsky has been warning anybody who will listen of the potential threat of spreading treated human waste on rural Ottawa farm fields.

Read more in this week's edition of The Review.