Senior Vice President Jody Barksdale to Present at FWEA Biosolids Seminar

Florida Water Resources Association Biosolids Seminar

Tampa, FL

 

Update on the Office of Inspector General Biosolids Overview of EPA’s Land Application Regulations

Presentation by Jody Barksdale, P.E., ENV SP

The EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the EPA’s biosolids program, questioning if the existing regulatory requirements protect human health and the environment. The audit could have major impacts throughout the United States on reusing highly treated biosolids for agriculture and other uses. The OIG’s report focuses on the chemical risk and assessment process, which is quite narrow in scope relative to EPA’s Part 503 requirements. Since the report was released, the EPA’s Office of Water, which operates the biosolids program, and several biosolids organizations have pushed back in an effort to better understand OIG’s conclusions. with the ultimate goal of making sure that biosolids meet known and applicable criteria to protect the public. In this presentation, Barksdale will discuss how the report could affect the future of biosolids and provide an update on the ongoing discussion. Finally, he will lead attendees in reviewing the existing risk based criteria for land application.