Record-high temperatures have gardeners clamoring, but those that have grown accustom to purchasing compost from the county landfill are up the proverbial (bleep!) creek without a paddle.
“People have called wanting to get compost, but we’ve had to tell them there isn’t any for sale,” said newly appointed Montezuma County Landfill Manager Shak Powers.
Earlier this week, Powers confirmed that a state permit required to divert biosolids into compost at the county landfill was never obtained. The facility receives about 15,000 pounds of biosolids daily from the Cortez Sanitation District, which was previously churned into compost.
After taking his post in mid-December, Powers said he discovered the “incorrectly handled” permit authorization while preparing annual reports for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency.
“I’m not real sure what happened with the permit,” said Powers. “I needed a permit number to fill out the forms, but there was no permit number to be found.”
After realizing the non-compliance issue in early February, Powers said the sale of compost immediately ceased. He estimated that fewer than 100 gardeners purchased the county’s compost last year.
“I would characterize this as an ole crap moment: what a way to start the new job,” said Powers.
Montezuma County commissioners unexpectedly terminated Deb Barton as the landfill manager in November. With nearly eight years of on-site experience, Powers was tapped as her replacement.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment official Robert Peterson said the oversight wasn’t unexpected given the change of leadership. He added that he was unaware of the recent permit debacle, but confirmed a pilot compost project was never resubmitted for approval.
“It sounds like they have a violation,” said Peterson.
Gardeners issue warning
Ric Plese, horticulturist and owner of the Cliffrose Garden Center in Cortez, cautioned area gardeners not to use the landfill compost on any vegetables. He said human waste contained both pharmaceutical and herbicide residuals.
“It could totally be fine, but I’d like to see some type of certification that the compost wasn’t contaminated,” said Plese.
Montezuma School to Farm Project Director Sarah Syverson agreed. The organization operates three student gardens at Mancos Public School, Dolores Public School and one in collaboration with the City of Cortez at the Cortez Recreation Center.
“I don’t think we’ve gotten any compost from the landfill,” said Syverson. “We’ve been really careful where we get our soil inputs due to things like herbicide carryover.”
When receiving biosolids for composting, Powers said the landfill passed all state testing requirements, adding that there was neither any current public safety nor environmental concerns.
“When we were doing the composting, we did do everything to meet the process for further reduction of pathogens,” said Powers.
In 2014, the landfill generated just shy of 150 tons of compost. Sold to gardeners at $16 per cubic yard, it’s estimated the landfill could experience lost revenues of nearly $2,500.
While some local gardeners also gasped at the idea of using landfill compost on vegetable gardens, Plese said he would consider using it in a flowerbed or as a type of mulch on a lawn or around non-fruit bearing tress.
“At $16 per cubic yard, that’s a dang decent price,” he said.
Looking ahead
According to Powers, the landfill is actively seeking a permit to resume composting sales, which could take up to 180 days. Powers said he was hopeful that county commissioners would approve an engineer-designed permit proposal to send to state officials this week.
“We’re going to get the permit,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Previously set aside with other compostable materials, such as yard waste, the bio-solids continue to be received from the sanitation district, but now it is directly deposited into the landfill, said Powers.
Across Southwest Colorado – from Cortez to Pagosa and Durango to Silverton – organic materials make up nearly 40 percent of landfill waste streams. Only about 1 percent of that organic material is currently diverted in a five county area.
“It’s crucial that we get this permit,” said Powers. “We want to make something useful out of this organic material.”
Powers said the Montezuma County landfill was the only one in the region actively diverting organic materials. Despite his concerns, Plese agreed that recycling the bio-solids was beneficial.
“It’s always a positive when diverting material from the landfill,” he added.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com