Odors bring end to N.Y. sludge contract

New York City-The New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYDEP) won’t be shipping any of the sewage sludge produced at city wastewater treatment plants to a facility at Hunts Point for processing into fertilizer pellets, and residents there couldn’t be happier. Ending that contract may not be the final blow to the plant operated by New York Organic Fertilizer Co. (NYOFCO), which is part of Synagro Technologies, but community leaders hoped it would be the beginning of the end to the source of foul odors and years of citizen complaints. The Natural Resources Defense Council has sued the plant on behalf of a community group called Mothers on the Move, along with 10 local residents. Last year, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also filed a public-nuisance lawsuit against the company. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. praised the NYDEP decision as a cause for rejoicing. “The decision by DEP to no longer process its sludge at the NYOFCO plant in Hunts Point is worthy of celebration as a major step towards building a cleaner and greener Bronx. The health, well-being and quality of life of Hunts Point residents, and in fact all Bronxites, will no longer be compromised by incompetent industrial operations. Hunts Point residents are glad that, after years of complaining about foul, noxious odors, their long-time activism has resulted in the city refusing to renew its contract with NYOFCO, bringing us one step closer to removing NYOFCO and its disgusting emissions from their neighborhood entirely,” Diaz declared. He said without the city contract he hopes NYOFCO will be forced to abandon its operations in Hunts Point. There was no response from Synagro at either its regional office in Connecticut or the home office in Houston. But Mark McCormick, one of the top Synagro officials in the area, told the local press they were still hoping to find a resolution with the city. “We’re going to reach out to the city and see what we can do short of terminating the contract,” he said, noting that the plant employs about 50 people. “At this point, we’re open to discussing anything to help them out, whether it’s volume or price or other ways we can help work with each other.”