SLUDGE VICTIMS

Currie, who is also a farmer and real estate broker, says he would not apply sludge to his own land, not only because of the risks he perceives but because he believes it ultimately will affect property values.

There may be a nutrient value to sludge, Currie said, but "it's short-term gain for long-term pain."

He said some banks are asking about sludge when issuing mortgages.

Last summer, a group of wells in Amaranth tested positive for various -coliform bacteria, as well as a strain of E.-coli. Currie said a well that had tested clear had become contaminated shortly after there had been a sludge spill near the property.

"It's only since the spread of sludge that any wells have tested positive (for coliform)," he said.

Supporters of sludge say it's only since Walkerton that the wells have been tested. They say the contamination has always been there.

Southgate Mayor Don Lewis will attend. He would not say whetherhe favours the spreading of sludge as fertilizer, but admitted he is happy that "the problem has been taken out of our hands."

Recently, a local farmer had invoiced Southgate for $96,000, representing an amount he said he would lose on his 485-acre farm after the municipality issued a moratorium on sludge.

The invoice has since been withdrawn, Lewis said, but it demonstrates the present plight of farmers.

It's pretty tough sledding. They pay through the roof for fuel and fertilizer," Lewis said.

He described opposition to using sludge as fertilizer as "a group on a bandwagon."

At the ministry, quality control supervisor Andy Donninski said there was no need to consult the municipalities as sludge is a provincial program.