Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	1.-		Are biosolids safe for beneficial reuse?


	2.-		Are biosolids valuable and why?


	3.-		Are pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) found in sewage sludge (biosolids) from wastewater treatment plants?


	4.-		Are there benefits from land applying drinking water treatment residuals?


	5.-		Are there buffer requirements or restrictions on public access to sites where biosolids have been land applied?


	6.-		Are there environmental concerns for excessive molybdenum (Mo) being applied to agricultural land from wastewater irrigation, reclaimed irrigation water, or from composted or dewatered biosolids?


	7.-		Are there negative agronomic impacts from land applying drinking water treatment residuals?


	8.-		Are there regulations governing the handling and use of biosolids?


	9.-		Are there rules about where biosolids can be applied at bulk rates?


	10.-		Are there special environmental and health considerations for land application of septage?


	11.-		Are those biosolids targeted for land application comprised of everything we flush down the toilet and everything industry puts down the drain?


	12.-		Both solid and liquid septage materials are periodically removed from septic tanks, cesspools, portable toilets, Type III marine sanitation devices and similar treatment works that receive domestic sewage. What happens to this material?


	13.-		Can algae have beneficial effects in wastewater treatment?


	14.-		Can anyone apply biosolids to land?


	15.-		Can biosolids be used for land reclamation of surface mined areas?


	16.-		Can biosolids be used in compost mixes?


	17.-		Can biosolids be used in forestry operations?


	18.-		Can chemicals used to treat water that circulates through cooling towers cause problems for wastewater facilities and the biosolids produced at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)?


	19.-		Can waste treatment and crop utilization of organic nutrients through land application of biosolids be regulated with exact science?


	20.-		Do all biosolids have an odor?


	21.-		Do mineral waste by-products have any value for agriculture?


	22.-		Does land application of biosolids cause environmental problems?


	23.-		How are biosolids generated and processed?


	24.-		How are biosolids used?


	25.-		How are potential problems with pathogens prevented from land application of biosolids?


	26.-		How do biosolids benefit plant production agriculture?


	27.-		How do the risks associated with biosolids compare with other soil amendments used in agriculture?


	28.-		How do you prevent odor problems in biosolids?


	29.-		How does a drinking water utility dispose of its residual materials?


	30.-		How does the concentration of other elements found in plants compare to molybdenum (Mo), the micronutrient generally considered to be needed in the smallest amount and one of the most restrictive elements found in biosolids to be land applied?

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This website was developed by the ACES Water Quality Team, under the leadership of Dr. James E. Hairston. It is funded, in part, by USDA-CSREES water quality grant support under Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.