And what to do with that sludge is the subject of increasing debate, especially now that the N.H. Department of Environmental Services has unveiled proposed rules for regulating sludge, particularly sludge that's applied to farm land. The proposed regulations would lower the amounts of metals allowed in sludge, and require testing for 80 new compounds, including dioxins, pesticides and PCBs. If adopted, the standards would be phased in during 1998, with the strictest standards in place by 2001. The battle lines are drawn, with sludge haulers, municipalities, businesses and environmental advocates all mixed in the fray. Environmentalists think the new rules are too lax.
Municipalities are worried they're too strict.
There's nothing we know everything about. Meeting the stricter metals levels isn't a problem for Keene, according to deputy utilities director Michael K. Stankovich. But Stankovich echoes concerns of other municipalities and industries about the future. During testimony at a recent public hearing in Concord, Stankovich asked the department to set the 2001 lowest metal levels as a goal, not a requirement. Keene's sludge is now analyzed three to four times each year for such things as nitrogen, pH, and metals.