From sludge to fertilizer…
A demonstration project to determine the viability of turning sewage sludge into fertilizer turned out well. Public Works Director Mike Miller delivered the news… along with samples… last night to the Florence City Council.
Miller “The compost project was successful, we achieved the Class-A Biosolids designation, which was our goal.”
That “Class-A” designation means the harmful bacteria has all been composted, or ‘cooked’, out of the sludge. The raw sludge was mixed with ground yard debris then aged in a giant gore-tex bag over the winter. The result, about 100 cubic yards of compost, suitable for gardening. There’s just one hitch right now, Miller can’t use it for that… yet.
Miller – “Because it was a pilot project our disposal permit basically says that all the bio solids produced at the waste water treatment plant has to go to Short Mountain.”
Located south of Eugene, about 70-miles away, that’s where all of the sludge generated at the city’s Waste Water Treatment plant must go. Miller hopes to get approval to use the current batch of compost on parks and city owned property. He’s also asking the city council to consider pursuing a permanent long term project that would convert all of the sludge to what he’s calling “Flo-Gro”. Besides the impact of dumping thousands of cubic yards of the sludge each year in the landfill, there’s the expense of hauling it.
Miller – “And we, and we just got a better deal with our hauler, but we’re looking at just the hauling costs alone are running us about $80-thousand a year.”
The up-front costs to establish a long-term composting project could exceed $3.5-million. But that would handle several years of sludge that could be deposited much closer to home.
Another home was destroyed by fire in the Florence area. Firefighters were dispatched Friday night, about 9:30, to a vacant rental dwelling on Foulweather Street in the Heceta Beach Area. Siuslaw Valley Fire Marshall Sean Barrett says the 700-square foot home was a total loss, but the blaze was extinguished in 35 minutes. Barrett said the fire was definitely human-caused but the exact reason likely will never be determined because all the evidence was destroyed in the fire. He speculated a transient may have lit a fire in one room to keep warm. The home, valued at $30-thousand, was uninsured. It is owned by Kathleen Copenhaver from Redmond.
Oregonians will do without ‘over-the-counter’ services at the DMV and other state office this Friday as most state employees get an unpaid day off. It’s the tenth of ten furlough days ordered nearly two years ago by then-governor Ted Kulongoski to help balance the current two-year budget. The Department of Administrative Services says each furlough day saves about $2-million in personnel costs. Residents can still access online services such as driver’s license and auto registration renewal; hunting and fishing licenses; and general information requests. Emergency services are not impacted… Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police and corrections workers will be on the job.
Today is election day… that means ballots are due back by eight pm. Post marks don’t count, so don’t drop that ballot in the mail and hope that it will get there in time. The best bet is to deliver it to the white ballot drop box in front of the Florence Justice Center by eight pm. Initial results will be available online at the Lane County website shortly after that.
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
PACIFIC CITY, Ore. (AP) - Authorities along the Oregon Coast -
from Neskowin to Pacific City - are preparing for one of the
largest tsunami drills in history.
Evacuation drill spokesman Jim Kusz says that people need to
prepare in case a tsunami hits the coast, similarly to the way that
people in Florida have drills for hurricanes.
Tsunami drill awareness has been more acute since the massive
earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. That tsunami hit
Oregon, causing millions of dollars in damage.
The drill will span 15 miles, and authorities will use fire
sirens to a set off the drill. Messages will be played telling
people where to go to get to higher ground. Authorities hope to
have a large attendance from nearby residents.
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) - A black cylinder-like device used to
threaten workers during a Gresham bank robbery posed no threat to
bank employees and was safely removed. The woman escaped with an
undisclosed amount of cash. No one was hurt. A bomb-squad robot
examined the device and removed it yesterday. The woman is
described as white, 5-foot-6, 130 pounds, in her late 20s or 30s.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Rescuers have suspended the search for a
Canadian man who's been missing in the rugged, high desert
mountains of northeastern Nevada since March. Hunters found the
man's wife, 56-year-old Rita Chretien, weak but alive on May 6. The
Oregonian reports that the Elko County Sheriff's Office in Nevada
said the search for 59-year-old Albert Chretien may resume if
conditions improve and snow melts, or if investigators get any
leads on his location.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Lawmakers say an Oregon House committee will
quash a proposal to require that all students have access to free
full-day kindergarten by 2015. The state Senate voted
overwhelmingly in March to impose the requirement, but it hasn't
gained traction in the House. The House Rules Committee is to vote
tomorrow on changing the bill to continue the current law, which
leaves it up to school districts to decide whether to offer the
program and whether to charge parents.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) - The Springfield School Board has given
Superintendent Nancy Golden high grades for her performance, but
the lauded school official will also get a 2.4 percent salary cut.
The Eugene Register-Guard reports that Golden's salary will drop to
almost $128,000 from $131,000. Golden said that if her employees
get a pay cut, she will also.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Welcome to Portland's Cannabis Cafe, where
the sick and the stoned gather nearly every night to share donated
marijuana. Thursday is karaoke night, and a cross-section of
Portland's working and middle classes come to sing their hearts
out. Patrons say the karaoke night gives them a reason to get out
of the house. They say they're able to form a community instead of
medicating with marijuana alone. The clientele is a collection of
AIDS patients, cancer patients and those who tell a doctor they're
suffering from severe pain.
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon wildlife rehabilitation center
has released a group of brown pelicans back into the wild. The
Wildlife Center of the North Coast released six brown pelicans near
Astoria last week. Some of the pelicans had gotten tangled in
fishing lines and suffered frostbite and wing injuries. One was
rescued while seeking shelter in the Seaside Hallmark Resort pool
during a snow storm with gale force winds.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - An overnight house fire in Salem left a woman
in critical condition. Willamette Valley Fire and Rescue says
firefighters were called to the home at 1:40 a.m. today and found
that five occupants had escaped. But a 46-year-old woman was
missing. Firefighters didn't find her until after they knocked down
flames. She was airlifted to Legacy Emmanuel hospital in Portland.
The other five residents were treated at Silverton Hospital for
inhaling smoke.
BEND, Ore. (AP) - Central Oregon horse owners are on alert for a
deadly virus. A veterinarian with Bend Equine Medical Center says
no cases have been confirmed in the state, but several animals are
being monitored. The equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) has killed horses
in other states, forced quarantines and cause horse owners to
cancel events to prevent the disease from spreading.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:
Siuslaw Track and Field Standout Linda Paredes is Coast Radio Sports’ Athlete of the Week. The middle distance runner captured the Far West League title in the 800 meters last week with her season’s best time of 2:26.07, plus ran one leg of the 2nd place 4-by-400 relay team. The Viking senior qualified for the 4A state meet in both events. Honorable Mention goes to Leigh Aurich who qualified for state in four events, finishing second at Far West District in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, the Triple Jump and as a member of the same 4-by-400 relay.
Regular season prep softball wrapped up last night on the diamond at Siuslaw High School with the Lady Vikings going out with a win, 12-2 over the North Bend Bulldogs. Siuslaw now advances to the ‘round of 32’ Thursday evening when they travel to Prineville where they take on the Crook County Cowgirls.
North Bend edged the Siuslaw Vikings on the baseball diamond last night, 4-2, to force a three way tie for second place in the Far West. The Vikings were already clinched as the League Champions for the second straight season. The Vikings will host the North Valley Knights Friday afternoon in the Round of 32.
On the schedule today… Oregon will host Gonzaga for non-league college baseball.
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