[compost_tea] Re: Pathogen, Biosolids and the CTTF Report

From: dkemnitz2000 <dkemnitz2000_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 23:09:24 -0000
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Ted Peterson"
<ted.peterson_at_t...> wrote:
> Switchers.  Yes, they are around but I am unsure of how many are
actually in compost and the soil.  It is my understanding that most
of these switchers live in intestines and while they can tolerate
small amounts of O2 don't do well in an environment like a brewer.  I
think UV fries them like it does all pathogens. 
>
> In the Waste Water industry, E. Coli and Salmonella are used as
indicators.


I thot main test in Water treatment facilities was BOD or COD and
usually COD  due to difficulty and length of BOD test. And maybe
pH,TDS and heavy metals.  Do they actually test effluent for
coliforms and salmonella.  The numbers would be off the chart I would
think.  You got any historical data?  Seems like you had some in your
biosolids treatment report. Thanks again Ted.        Dennis








If the test show < .02 or ND, they and all other pathogens are
considered non-detectable.  The "less than" means that while none are
found, there might be some somewhere other than the sample.  It's a
way of saying: "We didn't find any but that doesn't mean they're not
there."  I think it's because sleeping bacteria are different from
dead or non-existant bacteria.  One sleeping E. Coli can grow and
populate if the environment is right and it's the regrowth that seems
to have people worried. 
>
> We witnessed pathogen regrowth in biosolids and we controlled them
with compost tea.
>
> Now, we used compost tea to control pathogens and my report states
that.  I will say this again: "We used compost tea to control
pathogens."  And it worked!  Now, I have read all the posts on
testing and everybody is wringing their hands.  Somebody should take
the report I posted (If you want one, contact me and I will send
one.) and go to their WWTP and see if they can get some money to
duplicate what we did.  I will even send the proposal.  We need hard
data that refutes those bogus tests used to formulate this policy. 
>
> I can hear people saying that biosolids are not compost.  But if
fecal coloforms can be controlled in composted biosolids it seems
pretty obvious that they can be controlled in composted anything.
>
> I'm offering the reports and proposals as ammunition in this
fight.  If the experiment done here can be duplicated and compost tea
can be shown to reliably control pathogen spikes, we have something
with widespread use. 
>
> Already our WWTP has initiated a program, based on EW/SOE work,
that has totally changed how they process biosolids and how the plant
operates.  People, it works and it is documented so it can be
repeated. 
>
> Let's get aggressive with this report and PROVE it wrong. 
>
> Ted Peterson
> EW/SOE



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Received on Tue Apr 27 2004 - 19:41:03 EDT

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