THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC ARCHIVES

RAISING A STINK - RESIDENTS ASSAIL COMPOSTING PLANT

Published on Tuesday, February 16, 1993 Section: Front Page: Al 0 1993 The Arizona Republic Byline: By David Hoye, THE PHOENIX GAZETTE.

When someone flushes a toilet on Coney Island, part of what goes down the pipe ends up in the Arizona desert.

For the past year, a Maryland company has shipped New York City sewer sludge to the tiny Arizona town of Vicksburg, where the pungent material is composted and given to farmers.

Owners of the Arizona Soils Composting Facility say their operation meets all regulations, and is good for the environment because it keeps sludge from being dumped into oceans and landfills. However, the 80-acre facility, 120 miles west of Phoenix, has sparked a controversy that has left residents furious.

'There's nobody out here that wants that plant. Nobody," said Milo Mathis, who runs the town garage.

"It makes you want to puke. It blows right through your house and right up your nose. You're sitting down trying to eat your lunch, and you have to smell (expletive). It's terrible."

Others complain of large, biting flies that have appeared since the facility opened. Some say the sludge has made them sick

p.19

ARIZONA - VICKSBURG - SLUDGE COMPOSTING FACILITY - VICTIMS GETTING SICK - PENETRATING, FINE, MISTY DUST - BLOWS RIGHT THROUGH HOUSE ... UP YOUR NOSE ... THEY SUFFER NAUSEAt "IT MAKES YOU WANT TO PUKE", HEADACHES, LARGE BITING FLIES - REDUCED PROPERTY VALUES -LOWERED QUALITY OF LIFE.