Biosolids

Safeguard Your Health: What the Public Needs to Know

One Important Question To Answer

Great news! We are finally making progress on the toxic biosolid issue facing our community. The CRD is now moving towards the planning process for options to deal with biosolids.

They are asking the public for feedback by Monday, June 3rd at 11:55 pm. Please respond to their one question by cutting and pasting in the answer below (it takes less than one minute to do), using this link: https://getinvolved.crd.bc.ca/biosolids/surveys/comment-form

I support using new technologies that do not involve incineration or fossil fuels for the thermal conversion of biosolids to eliminate all toxic chemicals and produce beneficial use in biochar and fossil free energy.

I support the continued ban on all land application of biosolids in the CRD, including at Hartland.

Comments will remain anonymous and be collected and shared with the CRD Board as part of the planning process and ahead of a June 12th meeting.

Would you knowingly eat food, drink water or breathe air that contains toxic chemicals and microplastics linked to cancer that are contained in sewage sludge from Victoria, BC’s wastewater treatment plant?

Right now, forever chemicals, which true to their name last nearly forever in our environment, such as PFAS, and microplastics as well as PAHs, lead, mercury, dioxins, and pharmaceuticals are making their way into our air, water and soil through the bio-accumulation of tons of these toxic chemicals that remain in the sludge after the waste water from our homes, industry, businesses and health care facilities is processed.

Since 2022, the CRD plan was to use these dried biosolids as an alternative to fossil fuels in a cement plant, which is in keeping with a ban on the land application of biosolids the CRD Board passed in 2011. Instead, every day, 10 tons of toxic sludge, also known as “biosolids,” has been spread or buried at Victoria’s Hartland Landfill, where wind and rain erosion disperses these forever chemicals into the neighbouring farms, fields, forests and watersheds.

There is a strong triple bottom line business case for thermal conversion which the CRD needs to employ as it:

creates a non-toxic biochar which is the desired end product as a result of thermally converting toxic biosolids into inert biochar – a new green industry;
it’s a carbon free fuel source, not incineration, no pollution, low carbon footprint;
a plant could be up and running within two years if treated as the emergency this is;
thermal conversion can stop landfill expansion and convert ALL waste, not just biosolids, into fossil fuel free energy and save our waters, soil, trees, fish, our health and the beauty of the region and why so many people chose to live and visit here.

Solutions Exist! Learn More Here:

Frequently Asked Questions About Biosolids
Biosolid Free BC on Facebook
Butchart Gardens
Mount Work Coalition
Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Sierra Club

Take action by letting the CRD know you oppose the land application of biosolids by emailing: crdboard@crd.bc.ca

More About Biosolids

CRD’s Biosolids Plan Beset With Issues

by Jonathan O'Riordan

The report by Sidney Coles of Capital Daily exposes the problems with disposing biosolids at the Lafarge cement plat at Richmond and at Cassidy Quarry at Cassidy. The CRD Board will approve the long term pan for biosolids management on Wednesday June 12. Creatively...

New Bill Could Bail out US Farmers Ruined by ‘Forever Chemical’ Pollution

by Tom Perkins

Courtesy of The Guardian. The US may soon bail out farmers whose livelihoods were destroyed by toxic PFAS “forever chemical” contamination. The proposal for a $500m fund aims to head off a crisis for the nation’s growers and is moving through Congress amid increasing...

Harms of PFAS, the CRD’s contract with Lafarge, and Celebrating the Long-standing Ban on the Land Application of Biosolids

by Frances Litman

A CTV news story on the pervasiveness and dangers of PFAS, a VicNews story on the ongoing issues with biosolids disposal at the Lafarge Cement kiln, and an op-ed by BioSolids Free BC founder, Philippe Lucas, celebrating the popular CRD ban on the land application of...

Petition Aims To Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of Greater Victoria Environment

by Philippe Lucas

The world finally seems to be waking up to the harms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their slow rate of degradation and associated build-up in animals, humans and our natural environment, PFAS are...

New CNN Story on Long-Term PFAS Contamination of Farms Resulting From Land Application of Biosolids

by Philippe Lucas

To the the CRD Chair, Board, Staff and member of the press and public, Here's a link to a devastating CNN story on PFAS contamination of farms in the US: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/us/video/pfas-forever-chemicals-farmland-food-biosolids-digvid Does the CRD Board...

Petition: Uphold the Ban on Land Application of Biosolids in the Capital Regional District

by Philippe Lucas

The Capital Regional District (CRD) in Victoria, BC, Canada has a long-standing and popular ban on the land application of biosolids. This is a crucial regulation that protects our local drinking water, environment and public health. Biosolids contain PFAS,...