Biosolids agreement to rid Hunts Point of odors

New York-Under a multi-facet agreement announced June 30, Hunts Point residents will no longer have to put up with odors from New York Organic Fertilizer Co. (NYOFCo) processing sewage into biosolids. “This agreement ensures that the facility, which has plagued this community with its noxious odors for almost two decades, will not run as it is ever again,” said Al Huang, a Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) attorney representing a South Bronx community group called Mothers on the Move. Huang noted that the legal settlement coincides with the last shipment of de-watered sewage sludge for processing by NYOFCo. The city also agreed to stop shipment of sewage sludge for at least two years, conduct an independent evaluation to establish if any odors are emanating from the Hunts Point sewage plant, require that any new sewage sludge processing facilities use best available odor control technology, and clean up an acre of waterfront green space for future community use. The settlement resolves claims against New York City and the Department of Environmental Protection, but those against NYOFCo remain outstanding and could be revived should the company’s facility ever resume operations. NYOFCo had been processing about half of the sewage sludge produced by the city’s 14 sewage treatment plants, which has been a long-time source of noxious odors in the Hunts Point neighborhood, the NRDC attorney pointed out.