Milwaukee, Wisc.-Milorganite officials still aren’t sure when they’ll be able to resume shipments that were halted by polychlorinated byphenals (PCBs) that got into the fertilizer during sewer cleaning. “We’re getting closer but we’re just not there yet,” reported Marketing Director Jeff Spence. He said the pressures have been eased by slower demand during the off-season and “understanding” retailers, but no fertilizer will be released until PCBs are reduced to below 1 part per million. He indicated costs will exceed a half million dollars, not including lost sales and what EPA requires in cleanup at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Milorganite plant. Spence said the good news is that all but three of 700 samples taken where PCB-contaminated product was used in area parks showed non-detect, allowing the sites to be re-opened to the public. Tests showing between 2.7 and 1.2 ppm in small areas at the three remaining sites “could have been from an existing situation,” Spence reported. Nonetheless, Milorganite has contracted for a $70,000 cleanup that will involve removing and replacing six inches of soil. Milorganite also must dispose of 7,000 to 8,000 tons of PCB-contaminated product by trucking to area landfills all but nearly 2,000 tons, at a cost of as much as $165,000. The remainder, containing PCBs over 50 ppm, will be transported by truck or train to licensed out-of-state landfills, at an additional cost of approximately $340,000. In the meantime, Milorganite officials are consulting with EPA on methods for removing contamination from the large silos where the fertilizer has been stored since the PCBs were discovered several weeks ago.
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