Eleven residents of Centerville Township have been meeting for around a year now to discuss growing concerns about the spreading of sewage septage on farmland and have formed the Leelanau Citizens for Sewage Safety (LCSS).
According to former county commissioner and LCSS member Kama Ross, the origins of the group can be traced back two years to when a nurse in Centerville contacted her about a persistent foul odor. Ross got involved with the issue and others have joined in to make a committee of 11. The committee members include two water quality professionals, farmers, business people, and other concerned residents.
In the United States over 60% of leftover sewage waste or “biosolids” are used by farmers to fertilize crops. This septage is the byproduct of waste and water treatment plants. These facilities process the waste from our homes, industries, and businesses turning it into what is supposed to be a safe product for agricultural use. The idea is that sewage derived biosolids offer a low cost alternative to synthetic fertilizers, however the reality is that biosolids come with the unintended consequences of introducing “forever chemicals”and pharmaceutical byproducts into the soil, water, crops, and ultimately, the food chain.
