Pennsylvania citizens protest Synagro sludge at WERF conference in
Philadelphia, PA, March 30, 2008
The Crocker Family
Mr Crocker
For Immediate Release:
April 1, 2008
Contact:
Evan Thies, 917 715 9265
Residents Concerned Sewer Sludge Toxic
Call for Synagro-Owner Carlyle to Disclose Distribution Practices, Report Testing of Product
PHILADELPHIA, PA-Environmental activists and residents from around Pennsylvania staged a
speakout Sunday at a Residual and Biosolids conference, calling for the expanded testing of Synagro
sewer sludge, and for public reporting on its toxicity and disposal from the Carlyle Group, Synagro's
private equity owner.
"Community members don't know everything that is in the sludge dumped nearby," said Sue Fox of
the Shrewsbury Township Environmental Protection Community (STEPCO) "Without more
information, I worry about possible health effects and diminished quality of life. Until there is more
scientific data and more testing that inspires real confidence, I think sewage sludge land application
should be ceased. Sludge testing by the sewage treatment plants seems to me like the fox watching
the chicken house."
"When Synagro was applying food processing waste across the street from my home in Douglass
Township, we experienced a terrible smell and volumes of flies-to the point where we didn't want our
children to go outdoors to play," said Mary Crocker, a community activist from Douglass Township.
"Synagro stopped applying the food processing waste, but then it began spreading sewage sludge
instead. We have never been given answers to our satisfaction regarding the content of the waste
and sludge spread by Synagro."
Anything sent to a sewer can potentially end up in sludge, including toxic substances such as human
waste, fertilizer run-off, chemical run-off, or discharges from hospitals or manufacturing plants.
Concerns about the safety of Synagro sludge have intensified since the company's April 2007 buyout
by The Carlyle Group. By taking Synagro private, Carlyle may be able to avoid requirements that
Synagro provide certain information about its business practices to the public and federal agencies,
including regulatory inquiries or legal complaints against the company resulting from health hazards
caused by Synagro products and product distribution.
Several incidents involving Synagro since the buyout have raised concerns about the impact of
Synagro sludge.
- In September 2007, officials in Shrewsbury Township, Pennsylvania were flooded with
complaints from residents living near a Synagro sludge dumping site. According to the York
Dispatch, residents complained of an odorous stench, nitrates contaminating wells, and
repeated infections.
- This month Alabama's Limestone County reportedly reached a settlement to end Synagro's
distribution of processed human waste in fields within its jurisdiction, after residents' complaints
of a strong odor. The Commissioner stressed his Department's "rising concerns" about
Synagro's product.