While local governments, including the Board of County Commissioners and the City of Fellsmere, have temporarily halted the use of treated human waste – biosolids – around Blue Cypress Lake, State Rep. Erin Grall wants to take the bans farther.
On Tuesday, she introduced House Bill 405 that would ultimately prohibit the Department of Environmental Protection from allowing the disposal of biosolids within the St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed, which includes Blue Cypress Lake.
If approved as is, the new rules would go into effect in July.
Grall’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the bill.
Certain entities could be allowed to use biosolids as fertilizer – but only if they can prove that the nutrients found in the biosolids won’t add to the nutrient loads in the watershed. The Department of Health would be tasked with reviewing such agricultural use plans.
Such nutrients often found in biosolids include nitrogen and phosphorus, which are known to cause algae blooms and other environmental issues when their amount is too high.
Excluded from the ban are Class AA biosolids, which are more processed than the offending bio-waste. Class AA biosolids are marketed and distributed as fertilizer products and conform to DEP rules.
