Decision Postponed on Building Sewage Plant
A decision on whether to build a sewage-sludge treatment plant in Colton has been postponed until March, Orange County Sanitation District officials said. The district is seeking new ways to treat sludge after many agricultural counties banned its use as fertilizer, citing health and aesthetic concerns.
The board was to vote on the Colton proposal this month. The plan involves buying land in Colton so that Inland Composting and Organic Recycling could turn the sludge into compost, which is still acceptable to many counties.
Land and other costs would be between $43 million and $68 million. In addition, it would cost $22 per wet ton to treat the sludge. The district expects to send 300 wet tons there a day starting in mid-2003. That would cost about $2.4 million a year and treat close to 60% of the sludge.
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