Albany County leaders are putting a stop to the use of biosolids on farms with a 90-day moratorium due to public health concerns about perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS).  

“Biosolids are organic materials that is recovered from the wastewater treatment process. Essentially, we’re talking about human waste from bathrooms and kitchens that is later used as fertilizer on our farms. It’s a nutrient-rich option however, it [poses] the risk of severe health concerns due to contamination,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy during a press conference.  

Steuben County has also experienced contamination issues from the use of sewage sludge on farmland. The town of Thurston enacted a law banning the practice, and advocates have pushed the county to do the same.  

McCoy enacted a 90-day moratorium on landspreading to get a better understanding of the situation in Albany County. Additionally, he directed the county’s Department of Health to study the issue.

“It’s to protect the health of our residents in agricultural practices here in Albany County, and we will extend this if necessary, past the 90 days after we get into research and we start seeing who’s using this,” McCoy said.  

Sewage sludge is a cheaper alternative to commercial fertilizers, and even can be a free option for farmers. The other disposal options are landfills or incineration.  

“Farmers are being tricked into thinking it’s a safe, cost-effective way of alternative fertilization,” McCoy said. “At a time when prices are too high, we all know that if you go to the grocery store, farmers are trying to save money to get their product out there,” McCoy said.  

The New York Department of Enviornmental Conservation is in charge of authorizing permits to land apply biosolids. According to its website, Albany County does not have any active permits for land spreading. However, McCoy said there are two that he knows of using this product, and he has concerns for biosolids coming from out of state.  

“A lot of the stuff comes in from [Massachusetts] and other areas, so it’s not tracked. One of the things we’re working with the DEC on is finding a way to make sure we can track the biosolids coming into our communities,” McCoy said.  

Currently, the DEC tests for PFAS in biosolids at wastewater treatment plants but doesn’t require testing of the soil after application of the product. They allow biosolids to be spread without further testing if they are under 20 parts per billion for PFAS.  

The Enviornmental Protection Agency recently announced a risk assessment that found those living on or near sites where biosolids have been spread and those who rely on products such as food crops, animal products or drinking water near those sites exceed the acceptable human health risk threshold set by the agency, sometimes by several orders of magnitude.  

Doug LaGrange, the New Scotland town supervisor and a former dairy farmer, said further understanding of the practice is important.  

“There is just so much more that we have to learn about this and so much more we have to do to better educate ourselves and the agricultural landowners out there because as one, I’d be the first to stick up for this if it was safe, if it was good, but we’ve got to let the science catch up,” LaGrange said.  

He said he first became aware of the risks associated with sewage sludge when there were issues in New Scotland with the spreading and storage of biosolids in fields. It was alleged that some wells were tainted with E. coli, LaGrange said.  

“I think a lot of farmers were sold this product not realizing the harm it’s doing to their land, and if you know any, there’s not one farmer I've ever met that doesn’t love their land,” McCoy said.