A2B-linc«sttr Firming, Saturday, July ir, 1993 (Continued from Pago Al) The entire effort is one of under standing the composition of a sub stance that is otherwise thought to be benign, according to spokes people from DER. PSU, and the state Department of Agriculture. According to Rider, the as-of yet uncompleted project is a result of complaints to DER about mal functioning on-lot, underground waste water treatment systems (septic/distribution box and drain field) on farms, and a possible link of blockage in those failed systems to the wastes coming from milk house waste water. While the specific cause of the problem with failed systems was blockage, it was not apparent what was causing the problem, accord ing to Rider. It was clear however, that no person or agency had any com prehensive data on the components of milkhouse waste water, or how much waste is actually being released into “subsurface disposal systems.” The phrase, “subsurface dispos al systems,” is self-defining and includes the traditional septic tank and drainfield. According to Rider, while DER had no prior direct contact with milkhouse waste water, from what personnel were told about milk houses. the agency assumed it would be looking at a substance that could possibly be high in organic materials and nutrients (milk and milk solids), and unknown concentrations of deter gents and acids. However the agency was since informed that the situation was not comparable to a milk processing Take It Where You Need It! VEHliwnc 36” Port-A-Fan® Quality Throughout Built For Service Built To Last The Moveable Solutionl wEr! tuscarora electric MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC. 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The samples have already been gathered and the sample analyses are done, which means that the PDA has completed its portion of the effort, according to Tony Biz zarre, chief of the PDA Division of Milk Sanitation. During a Wednesday telephone interview. Bizzarre said that PDA became involved because it had been dealing sporadically with some problems for some time. Also, he Bizzarre said that agri culture officials wanted to avoid a confusing, and possibly duplica tions of effort through multi agency involvement in the field. He also said that while survey work is not the normal role of the state’s 224 industry .inspectors (who are certified by the Depart ment of Agriculture), they were ANY SIZE TO MEET YOUR NEED ' HARDY STOVE * FURNACE SITS OUTSIDE ■ 10’ -100’ from home/ business/barn. * CONVENIENT - Load every 10- 12 hours. Bums logs up to 16" in diameter & 30* long. Stops most log splitting. * THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED - Even heat. * EASILY CONNECTS to forced Air/Hot Water System. Needs no chimney or water heater. Heats domestic hot water year round. Warm months of the year firing every 6 to 10 days. • ALLERGIES Caused By Indoor Burning Of Wood & Coalll Keep Fire Damage & Dirt Outside asked to help with the survey. Bizzarre said the farms chosen for involvement in the study were selected by the PDA based on type of operation and geographical location. “We’re trying to get some idea of what we have here,” Bizzarre said about the milkhouse waste water. “The agriculture depart ment contends that it is not a real problem. We‘ve been looking at some of these for some time. As long as the (underground system) is operating, it doesn’t cause a problem. “But here back a while, there were some problems and some runoff,” he said. “Anytime that did happen and came to our attention, we would tell them (the farmers) to repair it in some way. catch it and put into the manure pit, or expand” the drainfield to a size needed to handle the flow of milkhouse waste water. Bizzarre said. “When this did surface (DER’s interest in milkhouse waste), we thought, maybe we ought to do a survey of the different systems,” he said. “Because there ate so many of them out there (milkhouses) and for so many years, and we felt if we got involved we would have only one agency involved (in the sam pling) instead of two agencies.” According to Bizzarro, the interagency agreement was that PDA would continue to look at the problem and pass on the samples it collected. DER’s role is to test all the sam- CUSTOM BUILDER OF DAIRY, HOG, HORSE, STORAGE. RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 200 Cow Freestall Building 84 Cow Freestall Bulldli 960 Head Hog Finishing Building THE BRAND THAT Ml/# makesthedifference. 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A potential problem for dairy men would be if milkhouse waste water were to be considered as industrial waste, one of two defini tions included under the state’s Clean Water Act, according to Rider. (The other is household waste.) Rider said that consideration and any fears from farmers should be quelled. In effect, he said that DER did not intend to treat pipe- PAY OFF! $ line cleaning water as industrial waste. However, others outside of DER have suggested that the pos sibility for milkhouse water receiving an industrial waste designation is real and uncomfort able to consider —it would impose a completely different set of rules and restrictions and testing upon dairymen. However, all officials said they were confident that would not occur. In fact Bizzano said that DER has been very cooperative, and that he expects no major changes to normal operations. “I think we have a very good cooperative feeling on this,” Biz zarre said. In the case that something is deemed needed to be done, it would only be done after consulta tion with PDA and leaders of the dairy industry, Bizzano said. He said he sees a more likely scenario being that if a new milk house is to be built, that perhaps the “new (onlot sewage) system would be approved by somebody; if it’s working, then let it go; and, if not working, then find alternatives.”
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