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| CA _ ERSPREAD SLUDGE ON HIS FIELDS, THEN THEIR WELLS BECAME CONTAMINATED Fal.mel.s w [ @ Linda Donaldson and her husâ€" dog all became ill with diarrhea, tion of the cases included reviews | ‘j’ band, Roger, sold the farm that had B I remember swollen lymph nodes and other ailâ€" of literature, correspondence and 0 q. | | been in her family for 150 years & ments. She has sent some to live medical information as well as conâ€" l t | and moved to Campbellford to get Standmg on the elsewhere for the sake of their sultations with the environment S l Over A away from sludge â€" only to find it road Watching it health. ministry and health ministry. While i‘ being spread there; too. 25 30 t In the fall of 2006, the couples orâ€" she concluded sludge didn‘t cause af â€"/‘It has just totally devastated us," spray £3, fee ganized a letter= and emailâ€"writing the illnesses, she didn‘t determine S e ‘ says Linda, a retired nurse practiâ€" Wik Sadit? campaign to local health authoriâ€" what did. | tioner. When they became ill after id ties and government officials about The group, however, isn‘t satisâ€" the sludging, she drove to every their medical problems. Last Deâ€" fied. The attitude at Queen‘s Park Free biOSOfidS temptmg house in a large circle around the cember, the medical officer of is "we‘re making all this up," says & 4 site and discovered 22 people were "hremember standing on the road _ health for the area, Dr. Lynn Noseâ€" Deavitt, who worked in the medical at a time when prices sick with the same symptoms. watching it spray 25, 30 feet into worthy, sent them letters saying field for 14 years. mm 4 5n Since then, families‘ wells have the air" says Deavitt, "My eyes she had investigated but failed to "There‘s so much proof here â€" Of co erCIal femhzer become contaminated and people were burning from the smell. It find a "causal relationship" beâ€" what are they waiting for, a body are Skyrocketing have been told not to drink the waâ€" makes you want to vomit." ___ tween their i health and biosolids. count?" ter. They blame it all: on biosolids. Her six horses, donkey, cats and Noseworthy said her investigaâ€" cvyhnak@thestar.ca CAROLA VYHNAK U URBANARFAIRS REPORTER j +0 LANVTO S1reo k <SMLA\ ! / 3{'4 x The price is right. With savings of _ more than $100 an acre for fertilizer, the offer of free stuff is tempting for farmers struggling to make a living in the face of rising costs and diminishâ€" < $ ing returns, Harry Buurma wishes he could get enough sludge to cover his entire 3,000â€"acre farm in Watford, partway between London and Sarnia. As it is, i he supplements commercial fertilizâ€" & Chauira .c i i cviiigin, / raaaiaaaiwtd o. > > . roaraide ns 1'*.:‘ e . er with biosolids to feed his cash c hakmadie, in ‘\‘;‘J‘“s‘:l“‘lflifh"y?,im.‘flf-'«'?’wfl“:, uk 9 1 | Adoaleint c t be ooo e o ie ons -.q crops. Sludging cornfields, for examâ€" Cl ie w i o t kB c wl l | h 1 | _ ple, saves him $75 on fertilizing costs ‘;.J: [ BP mile ) MB Mssc\ 0 f j m\ ' . of $150 peracre, he says. : 5 Nt (0 n Yarei/ n 1; [Huatho I ‘ i fovis ({, zsia nute T "Fertilizer prices have doubled and y M iX o1X 1. (o 0. (OpNon . ty NB t e s»" WB # ] tripled so biosolids are a better deal , L’-_‘}, Me D b“ M onl Ob 01. |/~ pd0t OM : 7 i dÂ¥ Je We 4g50 M d It)hE i;ler,”lisay_s Buurma, who uses tilha d e k . t w on o ol ) e [R beth free Nexid studge and dried o ‘;fl;‘ L t}jfihm“__fl __&5‘_‘:0‘;___W_LM_‘:;_M;.~_‘~__’__?;;_*W;_A .«.»LL,‘* e 7{2{%‘{/ i\\_‘ Meu ce \ Zl)x;c;gee pellets that cost him $19 a : gor ie t HATWNN . . > , en /@//}}%f/) _.v" /j/;l\ \“‘\ d The pellets have less odourand areâ€" ; ; y ‘] WBsead * *PY ib é o duced pathogen content, and there : | 18 ’f J /6" Cl & B â€" are fewer restrictions on when and A j | ; o Mss k‘\\ AiQ [ â€" how theycanbeapplied, he says. j i VY fl'fi\ $ ./p,\\.\ 4 Ralee _ The l3eau_tyofl3iosolids, apart from | g gmfl" yfi P the price, is their nutrients and orâ€" B ‘,‘ g;,.ifl‘.'a Bfla\ 7 ganic matter, says Buurma, who beâ€" I | f ie $ S lieves the‘:y are as safe as pig.or cow & M / â€" : manure. "The soilandplantsprocess . i e ogan this stuff and render everything a a . j {1 itmiess. We‘re not eating it direct A d M t ly: j f > f f He scoffs at statements that conâ€" y i. taminants fromindustrial waste find ’ o . V their way.into biosolids. 4 _ ’ o R :.: L + "That‘s a total mj * f ; % P f â€"B F9 F | â€" dustrial wast dmlsc,oncepmon. Inâ€" f & i R 6 M seers y 2 Cheen‘t go into city # i 4 ; â€" wenty 0n 80 years a d us § w f butthelevelofheg ts M j # ~ forcopper â€"h, vy metalsâ€"except cent. We hay as been reduced 90 per t K now." C a really tight system owA 02 ; The "re: crime." s i n ; M _ all bios 1?1 6 he says is that not t MWSD dSal‘espreadonfannlancL h l : Taking the stuff to landfili is a § f wrong, really wrong," especially i $ ; ; Mle when the ingredients in fertilizer wil B : . run out in 50 years, Buurma says iA But ‘?fl'e biosolids are fine for his o a a A ® in on Oe peunanen en m Cl o T e o on on i hn t e T o t g o ok T org ; in crops, he is not so sure ab 2 P P P f c l a s in nam | hof f h 4 T ho‘ lt anl onl rad 1 9l o y "uil y d s Lo iae s f # P J _F _ _F P or 0P 0P C P EL1 1. T11 C1 M\ M TN 1y y W y 3 NPatrghe s _T B _A ele ele n ricnnelrncsacl cnmcnloerecmecindncconlmnmntalanemilinmneetiasâ€"oleâ€"B _ 26â€" â€"SNNL â€" S NC oo o M e e We e o o Te t t B 4 O w . w