Fallbrook, Calif.-The Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) has received the prestigious Honor Award from the American Public Works Association for becoming the first district of its size to replace costly hauling of sewage to a landfill with a high-tech process that recycles it into fertilizer. The biosolids equipment cost more than $1 million, but FPUD will recoup that by 2014 from new revenue and savings on trucking costs, according to Engineering Manager Mike Page. Page said FPUD was paying $150,000 a year to haul sewage to Riverside County, but that location is set to close soon and the next closest is Kearn County or out of state. Now, he added, the plant produces about 350 tons of fertilizer a year, and all of that is being sold to a local grower. But more customers are welcome at only $20 per ton. “In today’s environment, with the push to reduce our carbon footprint, this recycling project is absolutely the right thing to do,” said Page, who accepted the award for the district.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain