Sewage Sludge: Field of Dreams?

Good news - the Delaware Riverkeeper Network is hosting a FREE webinar with information about how we can get involved with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) proposed revisions to their Sewage Sludge Permit regulations. Sewage sludge, processed into “biosolids”, has been applied on farm fields for decades in Pennsylvania. There is mounting evidence that "biosolids" applied on land contaminate groundwater, surface water, soil, air, and crops/farm products with toxins including forever chemicals, PFAS/PFOS. Several landowners in Carbon County use Sewage Sludge, putting land, water, and neighbors at risk. Both Maine and Connecticut have banned the practice, and other states are adopting regulations to limit the pollutants that can migrate into the environment and our drinking water from land treated with "biosolids". We need protection from this pollution here in the Commonwealth.

The webinar starts at 7PM on Thursday, July 23rd and will explain the PA-DEP Draft General Permit for Beneficial Use of Biosolids and what we can do to demand stronger protections against PFAS/PFOS, regular testing of soil and water, and enforcement of regulations. More information about the PA-DEP document is available at: https://greenport.pa.gov/elibrary/GetFolder?FolderID=2202862 and https://greenport.pa.gov/elibrary/GetFolder?FolderID=3664

Warning sign posted on field after Sewage Sludge is applied in East Penn Township, Carbon County.