More New York counties are taking action against the use of biosolids on farmland because of rising contamination concerns.
Schoharie County on Friday became the latest New York county to put a moratorium on the use of biosolids on farmland, and Steuben County on Monday approved a resolution in support of state legislation that would pause the practice.
Fred Risse, a farmer in Schoharie County who considered the use of biosolids, decided against it after researching the fertilizer – and went a step further.
“It was cheap fertilizer, so I ordered some and when they sent me the fact sheets that said how to stay away from wells and ditches,” Risse said. “Then I did some research and saw it can contaminate wells and the soil.”
After discovering it could impact his neighbors, Risse brought the issue to the Middleburgh town board who referred him to the county level.
He organized a few different speakers to come to a hearing on the moratorium, including agriculture specialists from Cornell Cooperative Extension and New Scotland Town Supervisor Douglas LaGrange. The moratorium passed with no opposition.
Donald Airey, a board member, said during the public hearing he can’t believe the state Department of Environmental Conservation supports the use of biosolids.
“I’m really disappointed that all these people have to travel to a county board meeting to get their point across one county at a time when Albany is 50 miles away and they can’t see this, they can’t appreciate this,” Airey said. “It’s very frustrating. I know I harp on these agencies a lot, but I’m sorry, I’m going to call it like I see it. This is absurd, and it’s a dereliction of the baseline mission that DEC is charged with.”
