Landspreading: an alternative for sludge disposal. [MCM and CNEB to maximize community benefits]

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Am. J. Agric. Econ.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1239957· OSTI ID:6671019

Ott, S L; Forster, D L

The passage of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-500, 18 Oct. 1972) with the expressed goal that the national waterways will receive zero discharge of pollutants by 1985. One source of such pollutants has been the discharge of effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants. As municipalities improve the environment quality of their effluent they are faced with another problem: how to dispose of sludge which is produced from providing cleaner effluent in an environmentally acceptable manner. In 1970, four million tons of sludge were produced, with a projected production of eight million tons by 1985. Spreading sludge on cropland has received renewed emphasis not only as a low cost disposal method but also as a source of fertilizer nutrients. The objectives of this study are to (a) develop a model which optimally allocates treated sewage sludge to cropland and (b) apply the model to several communities in order to analyze the benefits and costs of using sewage sludge as a fertilizer resource under a variety of settings. To determine the effects which the community setting has on the economics of landspreading sludge, four communities were selected from diverse physiographic regions in Ohio. The selected communities are Defiance (northwestern Ohio), Medina County (northeastern Ohio), Zanesville (southeastern Ohio), and Montgomery County (southwestern Ohio).

• Research Organization: Ohio State Univ., Columbus
• OSTI ID: 6671019
• Journal Information: Am. J. Agric. Econ.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Agric. Econ.; (United States) Vol. 60:3; ISSN AJAEB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
520600* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Regulations -- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
553000 -- Agriculture & Food Technology
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
ALLOCATIONS
BY-PRODUCTS
CROPS
DISTRIBUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT
FERTILIZERS
GREAT LAKES REGION
LAND USE
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MUNICIPAL WASTES
NORTH AMERICA
OHIO
POLLUTION
SIMULATION
SLUDGES
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER POLLUTION