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COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF SLUDGE DISPOSAL RECYCLING HISTORY
Citation:
Baxter, J., W. Martin, B. Sabey, W. Hart, AND D. Cohen. COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF SLUDGE DISPOSAL RECYCLING HISTORY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-77/054.
Description:
Since 1971 the only mode of sludge disposal used by Denver District No. 1 has been land application. A number of different application procedures have been tried over the intervening years. The development of methodology and problems associated with each procedure are discussed in the text. Continuous Applications of sludge to the soil at the Lowry Bombing Range since 1969 have raised the concentration of nutrients, metals, salts and organic matter. The effects of these excessive loading rates on the soil, crops and environment are evaluated. The effects of various sludge applications to soil on germination, emergence, subsequent plant growth, and uptake of heavy metals are examined. Inhibition of germination decreased with increasing soil sludge incubation periods or when dried sludge was used, suggesting that salts or some volatile component within the sludge was inhibiting germination. Microbial counts of fecal coliform bacteria in sludged plots showed no appreciable differences from control plots after a 6 month incubation period. Liquid sludge added to shallow earthen drying basins demonstrated that water is lost through soil percolation in addition to evaporation, and that about half the N content of sludge is lost.