More New York counties are taking action against the use of biosolids on farmland because of rising contamination concerns.

Schoharie County on Friday became the latest New York county to put a moratorium on the use of biosolids on farmland, and Steuben County on Monday approved a resolution in support of state legislation that would pause the practice. 

Fred Risse, a farmer in Schoharie County who considered the use of biosolids, decided against it after researching the fertilizer – and went a step further.

“It was cheap fertilizer, so I ordered some and when they sent me the fact sheets that said how to stay away from wells and ditches,” Risse said. “Then I did some research and saw it can contaminate wells and the soil.”  

After discovering it could impact his neighbors, Risse brought the issue to the Middleburgh town board who referred him to the county level.  

He organized a few different speakers to come to a hearing on the moratorium, including agriculture specialists from Cornell Cooperative Extension and New Scotland Town Supervisor Douglas LaGrange. The moratorium passed with no opposition.  

Donald Airey, a board member, said during the public hearing he can’t believe the state Department of Environmental Conservation supports the use of biosolids.  

“I’m really disappointed that all these people have to travel to a county board meeting to get their point across one county at a time when Albany is 50 miles away and they can’t see this, they can’t appreciate this,” Airey said. “It’s very frustrating. I know I harp on these agencies a lot, but I’m sorry, I’m going to call it like I see it. This is absurd, and it’s a dereliction of the baseline mission that DEC is charged with.”  

Neighboring Albany County passed a moratorium earlier this year and extended it to go through October. In Steuben County, the legislature hasn’t enacted a moratorium, but approved a resolution in support of state legislation that would put a five-year moratorium on biosolids.  

Kelly Fitzpatrick, chairperson of the Steuben County Legislature, said the county hopes the resolution will signify to the state the concern around the use of biosolids.  

“We hope to bring more attention to the issue. We know it’s an issue, we know that it has the potential to contaminate water systems,” Fitzpatrick said. “Once it gets into the water, it’s going to go everywhere. We really need to get this on the state’s radar and have them recognize we need more work done on this issue.”  

Rural Steuben County has an abundance of farmland where sewage sludge can be spread, which made them a target for sludge in the very beginning, Fitzpatrick said.  

“It needs to be taken care of. We’ve got to do something with it, but what we’re doing is not appropriate for the environment. I believe the governor and her administration seem to be very interested in taking care of the environment but sometimes it seems like there are little shortcuts that they’re taking and so this is a shortcut we need to put a stop to,” she said.

Wayne Wells has attended nearly every county legislature meeting for 40 years, and while he believes the county should have acted sooner, he commends them for this action.  

“I think the seriousness of this situation has finally penetrated into the bureaucracy to the point where hopefully more steps can be made,” Wells said.