Hinkley residents protest new sludge facility (source: HelpHinkley.org)The small California Desert community of Hinkley, made famous by true story portrayed in the movie Erin Brockovich, is under the gun again. However this time, it's not a hidden threat like hexavalent chromium-6, secretly poisoning their water supply and sickening the town. This time the threat is out in the open, and is even being touted by its proponents as an "environmental" and "green" solution to a problem faced by all of humankind: what to do with our treated human waste. The problem facing Hinkley is sludge.

Sludge Background

A little background first: sludge is the end-product recovered from the treatment of human waste in a wastewater treatment facility. We produce, as a nation, about 7 million tons of it each year. After leaving a wastewater treatment facility, sludge is either dumped in a landfill, incinerated, or recycled into what proponents call "biosolids". Once turned into "biosolids", it is used for agricultural purposes as a fertilizer, in mine reclaimation, even as bricks in a building. You can get lots more information at the National Biosolids Partnership website, but keep in mind that it is an industry-funded group.

Dust Is an Issue

The chief health risk from these sludge recycling facilities is the particulate matter generated. The dust generated from the decomposition and dessication of the waste has the potential to be an extreme health hazard to anyone who has to breathe it in.

The EPA itself (which is a major backer of sludge and "biosolids") has shown the dust be carcinogenic, to cause damage to lung tissue, and to severely aggravate existing pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions. Additionally once any windblown dust comes in contact with water, it may essentially "rehydrate" and become active again, with all of the typical pathogens and other fun organisms that live in our waste.

Problems with the Hinkley Proposal

The proposal for Hinkley is to install a massive (160 acre) sludge recycling facility. It will bring in approximately 1100-2000 tons of sludge per day (about 400,000 tons per year), where it will be mixed with brown waste (wood chips, particle board, etc.) and essentially composted for 60 days. After that, it will be trucked away to be used for agricultural purposes.

The dust problem is of particular concern at the Hinkley site. For starters, the proposal is for an open-air facility, which would have no covering over the composting sludge. The company making the proposal (Nursery Products LLC) has stated that the compost will be "so wet" that it will never generate any dust. However, with a pan evaporation rate of over 100 inches (which means if you put a pan outside with 100 inches of water- that's over 8 feet- in it on January 1st, it would all evaporate by the end of the year), there is widespread skepticism regarding the claim no dust will be created.

Hinkley Would Get the Full Impact of Dust

And if any dust is created, Hinkley is facing the barrel of a particularly toxic gun. The site is eight miles to the west of downtown Hinkley (such as it is), and the prevailing winds in the area are from the west, 12 months a year, at an average daily wind speed of 10 miles per hour- the fourth windiest area in all of California! Which means any dust that is introduced into the air will go straight for Hinkley. And then on to the much larger town of Barstow, another 12 miles to the west.

As Norman Diaz, a Hinkley resident, and founder of HelpHinkley.org (more on them below) states, "With such consistent winds and high evaporation rate, how can 400,000 tons of material, uncovered and stirred, not be expected to blow?"

Working Towards Change

The citizens of Hinkley gather to discuss sludge (source: HelpHinkley.org)There is a large coalition working together to either put a stop to the Hinkley Sludge Facility, or to at the very least mitigate the inevitable environmental and human health problems it will create. Chief among the coalition is HelpHinkley.org. This is a true grassroots organization, funded by individual donors from throughout the desert, and working day in and day out to spread the word about Hinkley.

And they've attracted the attention of some of the heavy-hitters in the conservation field, including the Center for Biological Diversity; the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment; and Environomental Defense. These groups and others have signed on to help pay for the extensive appeal and litigation costs involved.

Right now, the matter is being considered by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. They have a meeting scheduled for February 27th, during which they will consider HelpHinkley.org's appeal of their initial decision to approve the facility.

Get Involved

If you're interested in helping, there are three chief ways you can get involved (follow the links for more info):

1.) if you happen to live in Southern California, come down to San Bernardino on the morning of February 27th and speak your mind at the meeting
2.) write a letter to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, telling them what you think about the issue, and (particularly if you live out of county or state) letting them know that their decision could affect where you decide to spend your tourist dollars
3.) donate some badly needed cash to HelpHinkley.org.

There is something particularly melancholy about the plight of Hinkley. There is a commonly-held attitude that it's already a "messed up place" because of all they went through with the Chromium-6 battles. But it's a real small-town, with real people living there (about 2,000 of them). And though there are a few of them fighting vocally to protect their community, they cannot do it alone. They need the support of the rest of San Bernardino County, California, and the country. Please do some research, draw your own conclusions, and if so inclined, Help Hinkley.

Resources:

The EPA on Biosolids, High Country News on Sludge, Wikipedia on Sludge, Sludgefacts.org