SLUDGE VICTIMS

WIRTZ - Bob Heidorn is convinced that the black streaks floating on his once-clear backyard pond are caused by sludge fertilizer from a nearby farm.

"Stick your finger in it and taste it," Heidorn challenges. "You can smell it."

Cattle rancher Mike Altice doubts that the black scum on Heidorn's pond is treated human waste, although Altice does spread the material from sewage treatment plants onto fields above Heidorn's property.

Altice cut trees from 25 acres of new grazing land and applied sludge to it with no intention of affecting Heidorn's pond, he said. But runoff from heavv rains this summer was out of his control, Altice said.

The unexpected presence of sludge on fields next to Heidorn's pond is the kind of surprise that often confronts city people who move to the country. Rural areas put few restrictions on agricultural practices.

Besides the obvious culture clash, people have raised questions