SLUDGE VICTIMS

TILTON, NH - WELL CONTAMINATED BY SLUDGE - ON THE RECORD

On September 4, 1997, the Tilton Board of Selectmen met with Wheelabrator regarding their plan to spread 814 tons of Class B sewage sludge from the heavily industrialized City of Lowell, Massachusetts, in a Tilton gravel pit. This was to be Phase I of a 5-year sludge plan.

To prevent nitrates and other sludge pollutants from leaching into groundwater, Wheelabrator said they planned to spread newspapers in the gravel pit and put the sludge on top of the newspapers.

Mike Rainey, N. H. Department of Environmental Services (NH DES) told the Tilton Selectmen there has never been a documented case of a well being contaminated by sludge.

Mr. Richard Bachelder, 506 School Street, Tilton (286-403 1) told the Tilton Selectmen that the well of his neighbor, Mrs. Terry Snyder, was contaminated by Lowell sludge spread 3 years ago by BFI.

Bachelder said Mrs. Snyder had her well tested before the sludge was spread. The water was fine. After the sludge spreading, the test revealed the well was contaminated by E. coli bacteria. (Testing was done in accordance with accepted protocols by State Laboratory.)

Mr. Bachelder said Charlie Hanson (at that the still employed by BFI) came out, looked around, and told Mrs. Snyder her well-contamination was caused by a bird feeder.

Mr. Bachelder said Mrs. Snyder complained to the NH DES. He said the NH DES did everything they could to AVOID "documenting" Mrs. Snyder's well contamination. Bachelder said based on the way the NH DES handled this case, "...there is no way any well will be documented!"

Mr. Bachelder told Mike Rainey that the NH DES " ... did a horrible job" and that "...if you put an effort into investigating, there probably would be hundreds of cases (of contaminated wells)."