Polk County commissioners heard from Buddy Haynes about plans for Copperhill Industries, LLC, (CHI), then listened as residents said a resounding “no” to those plans.
The community room at the Copper Basin Senior Center was packed to standing room only Thursday, August 18, for the county commission’s regular meeting, with discussion about CHI consuming much of the meeting.
Haynes, who said he has been in the Copper Basin since 2008 and is the owner of CHI, has been on a mission to refute what he calls
“misinformation” about his plans to compost biosolids.
CHI first held an event for elected officials and later one for the public at the site. Haynes’ appearance at the Polk commission meeting was the third public presentation.
Last Thursday, Haynes said the biosolids CHI receives from Chattanooga are certified as a 10-10-10 fertilizer. “(They) do contain odor, but the odor is not harmful to human health,” he said.
Currently, CHI is operating under a permit held by Chattanooga as a land application designation to use the biosolids.
It’s that use that created an acrid smell over Copperhill and a large area of the Copper Basin. At the time, Haynes said he “didn’t realize the extent of the problem with the odor.” He then moved the spreading of the biosolids deeper within CHI property.
“We’re going to confine the odor to the property,” he said Thursday.
Haynes said he is required by EPA to reclaim all the waste areas at CHI. He said he was told by governmental environmental agencies that biosolids were the only way this would be successful in some areas.
“I had nothing to do with it except to say I’m willing to try it,’ Haynes said.
While the first biosolids were used to reclaim the waste sites left by the various company operations, the permit Haynes is now seeking allows for composting of the biosolids. The process would result in a product that could be bagged and sold on the retail market.
Residents responded to Haynes’ presentation with concerns and reports of their own investigations into biosolids.
Several noted that what Haynes wants to do is banned in Maine.
Richard Wagner, a former McCaysville city councilman who oversaw the city’s water treatment plan and is a licensed engineer, said he had contacted several civil engineering sources who warned of biosolid dangers.
While they admitted the dangers of pathogens, disease causing agents, in biosolids, they said the more dangerous Per- and Polyfluorinated (PFAS) chemicals are present.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define these as “a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.” They can be found in a variety of products including clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces, and the insulation of electrical wire.
The CDC says they are a concern because they do not break down in the environment, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources, and build up (bioaccumulate) in fish and wildlife.
The CDC says animal studies indicate PFAS may affect reproduction, thyroid function, the immune system, and injure the liver.
Wagner concluded, if he were Chattanooga, “I’d be turning back flips to be able to ship my crap somewhere else.”
J.M. “Mack” York echoed this sentiment saying, “If it’s so good, why don’t they keep it down there?”
Mark Heinzer, interim director of the City of Chattanooga Department of Public Works, said the city has 185 sites to which they distribute biosolids. “We’ve got a waiting list,” he said.
Rick Boring told Haynes, “I’d like to know what happens when this thing goes wrong.”
Polk County District 3 Commissioner Samantha Trantham told Haynes, “We’re a tourist town,” and the odor from biosolids is harmful to what the area has become in that regard. Several Copperhill merchants echoed their agreement.
Glenn Dowling, of Denali Water Solutions told government officials on their tour of the Copperhill site, “Odor is always the issue, but it’s part of the natural cycle.
Commission Chairman Greg Brooks concluded the meeting by saying, “Everybody for this has something to gain financially.”
He said public comments would continue Tuesday, September 13, at 7 p.m. when the Building and Grounds Committee meets. The location was planned for the community center, but Brooks said Sunday the location may change.
That meeting is scheduled to star