A Bounty Of Biosolids!

The City of San Luis Obispo has an upcoming meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3. On the 272-page agenda is an item on biosolids, the city's. They have a budgeted line item of $206,000 for fiscal year 2015-16 and $210,000 for fiscal year 2016-17. Now, they do have an output of 4.5 million gallons per day, which is quite a bit over our 1 million gallons per day at buildout and so the resultant biosolids and associated costs will be proportionally less for us when our plant is up and running. But it is fun to look at these costs and locations for transport—to get a heads up, more or less (or maybe it is bottoms down).

Here is a copy and paste of a small smattering of what is in their meeting packet for this item:

Other Agencies

Below is a brief description of what other agencies are doing with their biosolids. The City

generates more biosolids than many agencies because of its size and the treatment processes used

to attain the high level of water quality required to meet the WRRF’s discharge requirements.

Presently the City pays $44.23/ton for hauling and composting.

Cambria – $47.50/ton. Biosolids are hauled to Liberty Composting in the San Joaquin Valley,

composted, and then marketed for a variety of uses.

City of Morro Bay - $46.00/ton. Biosolids are hauled by McCarthy Farms in the San Joaquin

Valley, composted, and then marketed for a variety of uses.

South San Luis Obispo Sanitary District - $36.50/ton. Biosolids are hauled by Engel and Gray,

Inc., composted, and then marketed for a variety of uses.

City of Paso Robles – $7.19/ton. Biosolids are hauled to the City-owned landfill and used as

alternative daily cover.

Pismo Beach - $48.68/ton. Biosolids are hauled by Engel and Gray, Inc., composted, and then

marketed for a variety of uses.

Here is a link to the agenda:

http://www.slocity.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=7185

(Look for item six, then click the header link for the support documents.)

Engel and Gray, Inc. was always the facility discussed for our output, and the sewer disruptors (I am running out of descriptors for these people) flailed arms and spittle and warned of looming disaster should Engel and Gray close its doors to us. But as we can see, there are other facilities available, so I am officially putting that alarmist, pot-stirring fear to rest in the compost heap. And I will also add, that I am sure that we will have a very high quantity of output, guaged by the amount of unprocessed biosolids that are frequently flung from the mouths of the sewer detractors at the various meetings in Los Osos.