The information concerning the sewage-sludge burner proposed for Plainfield Township near Pen Argyl raises several issues, not the least of which are additional trucking, possible odors, and water discharge into small streams.
All of these problems can be solved very simply. Locate the proposed burner near the source of the sewage sludge. From what I can gather most of the sewage sludge will come into the Slate Belt from larger urban areas. Most likely they are New York, Connecticut, near Philadelphia, etc.
These locations already have sewage treatment plants. Put the burners at those locations. This way there is no additional trucking, the Sahabet odors are already there and the wastewater treatment and discharge outlet already exist. Why not locate the sewage sludge burner at those locations?
Is it because the large urban centers are more sophisticated, having the legal and political resources and environmental protections that the Slate Belt community does not? Or is it possible the larger urban communities already experience problems and want no more?
Is the Slate Belt simply an easy place to make money at the expense of a small community ill-prepared to understand what is at stake and probably unable to defend itself?
Ian Robinson
Pen Argyl
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.