Residents raise alarm about dust from biosolids operation

NEWS/ CITY HALL — A delegation of Dallas residents upset over dust from a nearby biosolids operation intends to take its protest to City council.

Residents have enlisted the help of Ruth Madsen, long a community activist on environmental concerns, to bring their complaint to the City later this summer.

They are suffering from health complications blamed on the dust and have received no response from authorities on the matter, Madsen said Tuesday during a preliminary appearance before council.

“It’s not sawdust,” Madsen said and attributed the fallout instead to “biowaste.” She said the dust should be tested to determine whether it contains heavy metals or pathogens.

For the past 18 months, Arrow Transportation, in partnership with Blackwell Dairy, the landowner, has been mixing biosolids trucked from Metro Vancouver wastewater treatment with sand, native soils and sawdust. The project is designed to improve the land for agricultural production.

“The bottom line is, Arrow and Blackwell have a huge business going on that nobody knows anything about while sawdust started blowing and trucks started driving up and down the road,” said Georgina Green, one of the residents.

Chief administrative officer David Trawin said the operation is compliant with zoning and the terms of its permit. It also falls under the right to farm and meets agricultural land reserve regulations.

A large sawdust pile and dust from truck traffic have been blamed for the problem, though Arrow contends that truck traffic includes vehicles from other businesses in the area, including a landfill operation.

The sawdust pile is contrary to zoning, but the city is in talks with the company to have it moved, Trawin added.

Arrow says it has received no complaints from residents about the biosolids aspect of its operation. It has, however, acknowledged that the sawdust pile must be moved to reduce wind-borne particles from scattering over residents below.