pfas

The waste management company Casella wants to turn its halted sewage sludge operation into a composting business. But town officials say it can’t.

A lawsuit filed against the town of Thurston was recently discontinued. It challenged the town’s ban on landspreading, which uses sewage sludge as fertilizer.

The town of Thurston is being sued for its ban on landspreading, which is the practice of using sewage sludge as fertilizer. Sewage sludge is the byproduct of human and industrial waste produced by wastewater treatment plants.

Fire departments across Broome County received nearly 1,000 gallons of a new type of firefighting foam Wednesday. The county purchased the new foam because the old kind contains PFAS, a group of harmful chemicals linked to cancer.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand recently introduced legislation for victims to bring lawsuits against PFAS polluters. The bill would enable those exposed to what's called “forever chemicals” to hold manufacturers accountable.

In December, county residents gathered at the Thurston Town Hall for the results of 83 water tests from the towns of Thurston, Cameron and Bath. Results show that PFAS compounds in water sources adjacent to sewage sludge usage—also known as landspreading—were on average nine times higher than in areas not adjacent to landspreading. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns even trace amounts of some PFAS chemicals found in drinking water may pose health risks.

Officials in the town of Thurston passed the measure because of concerns about PFAS or “forever chemicals” in the area’s water and soil.

Environmental groups are urging New York to embrace a proposed federal standard for drinking water.

Critics push PA to set enforceable drinking water levels to protect public health

The company cited what it called a “divisive local political climate.”