PORTLAND, Maine — There are growing concerns about the state's waste disposal capacity and the impact it will have on wastewater treatment plants in just a few years. Every day, large amounts of sewage sludge, or biosolids, are transported to state-run landfills. That sludge contains PFAS.
State regulators say the landfill could reach capacity by 2028 if no management investments are made. The Portland Water District's East End plant receives 25,000 pounds of solid waste each day.
“Everything that comes in has to go out, so any disruption to our ability to manage biosolids is a huge challenge,” explained Scott Firmin, director of Portland Wastewater Services for the Portland Water District. do.
The utility, which has about 100,000 customers in the Greater Portland area, transports waste byproducts known as sludge or biosolids to the Juniper Ridge Landfill near Old Town.
Last summer, after a ban on transporting construction debris needed to stabilize Juniper Ridge, Casella Waste Systems was left scrambling to announce it could no longer safely accept municipal sludge at Juniper Ridge.
“Ninety percent of the biosolids produced in Maine end up in landfills,” Firmin said.
Lawmakers temporarily lifted the ban, but a new crisis looms. A recent report from the Department of Environmental Protection says that unless new solutions are introduced, landfills will reach capacity within four years. Firmin said the Portland Water District is in talks with other utilities about the possibility of building a regional biosolids drying facility.
“By installing a digester and dryer, we can reduce that amount to four trucks a week,” Firmin added.
Meanwhile, Casella is partnering with renewable gas company Viridi Energy. Earlier this year, the company acquired this biodigester plant in Brunswick Landing. Casela supplies approximately 85,000 tonnes of biosolids per year from its network of wastewater plants.
“They're going to turn it into renewable energy and natural gas, reduce that amount by about 90 percent, and ultimately send it back to the landfill,” Casella spokesman Jeff Weld explained.
Once operational, perhaps in 2026, the facility will generate enough renewable energy to reach 3,000 homes a year and power a business park home to more than 150 companies.
Other recommendations from state regulators include expanding Juniper Ridge's production capacity. This is a solution that requires significant investment and may take several years to implement.
For more information on PFAS from the DEP, click here.
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