Report - Maryland Department of the Environment

Sewage Sludge Utilization
PURPOSE
Permits are required for the transportation, collection, handling, storage, treatment, land
application, and disposal of sewage sludge in the State. The purpose of the permits is to
ensure that sewage sludge is managed in a manner that is protective of public health and the
environment. Sewage sludge utilized in Maryland is applied mostly for agricultural uses,
composted, pelletized, landfilled, or incinerated. Permit requirements include preparation of
applicable nutrient management plans and other necessary documents.
AUTHORITY
STATE: Environment Article, Title 9, Subtitle 2; COMAR 26.04
PROCESS
Composting facilities, pelletizers, and storage facilities are inspected several times per year.
Landfill disposal operations are inspected during the course of routine landfill inspections.
Land application sites are inspected when the workload allows or when complaints are
received. The inspector may recommend corrective actions to take, if any are required. If a
significant violation is found, site complaints are issued. Corrective orders and penalties may
be issued for violations in accordance with Department guidelines and procedures.
Inspectors also investigate citizens’ complaints about sewage sludge utilization.
SUCCESSES/CHALLENGES
The Program’s number of inspections increased during this reporting period to 555 from 501
in FY 2008. There have been no instances of unpermitted land application of sewage sludge
in the State or instances of environmental or health impact. This is attributed to the
Program’s efforts to work with the regulated community over the last several years.
The inspection staff has improved the coverage rate to 33% during FY 2009 and inspected
234 unique sites. Further, there were 690 audits performed during FY 2009, which resulted
in raising the cumulative count for inspections and audits to 1,245. In addition, ten
enforcement actions were taken and a total of 12 compliance assistance actions were
rendered. This is due to the small and highly experienced nature of the regulated community
– there are a relatively small number of governments and companies engaged in this work
and the operators are familiar with the regulations and permit conditions. Therefore, most
violations are not significant violations and are the result of accidental occurrences or
misunderstandings, which are quickly resolved through compliance assistance efforts.
When considering the coverage rate for sewage sludge utilization sites, it should be noted
that many of these sites are farm fields that may only receive sewage sludge once or twice
during a five-year permit life. Inspection efforts are concentrated toward those sites that are
active during the year. The Program will continue reporting the total coverage value for
consistency with past values, and for comparison to other programs.
MDE FY 2009 Annual Enforcement and Compliance Report 82