State Extends Order to Move Fertilizer


By Suzie Schottelkotte
The Ledger
suzbiz@yahoo.com

FORT MEADE -- Florida NViro, a company that converts wastewater sludge into fertilizer, has
another 10 months to clear away the fertilizer piles at its Fort Meade plant.

Last summer, the state Department of Environmental Protection forced the company to shut down its
Fort Meade operations after nearby property owners complained about odors. N-Viro had to stop
processing any sludge by November, then had to remove the processed material from the site by
May 31.

That isn't going to happen.

The company has met each of the earlier deadlines, but won't meet this one.

"The weather just hasn't been on our side," said Harris Bowers, N-Viro's president. "We've had a lot
of rain in recent months, and that's hampered our ability to deliver our product."

Most of the company's clients grow crops, including citrus, strawberries, sod and melons, and
N-Viro delivers its fertilizer to the fields or groves.

"When it's as wet as it has been, we can't get our trucks up into the fields," he said. "We just haven't
been able to physically deliver the product."

Piles of fertilizer as tall as twostory buildings encircle N-Viro's site off U.S. 17 on Fort Meade's north
side. Bowers said he hasn't had a problem selling the fertilizer and anticipates clearing the property
as soon as the rain lets up.

Cheryl Minskey, residuals coordinator with the state DEP office in Tampa, said her office granted the
extension after reviewing N-Viro's situation.

"We conducted a site inspection last month and found that they were in compliance with the terms of
the settlement at that time," she said.

"We talked about their problems getting the product delivered because of the rain, and that is
reasonable, so we granted the extension. We recognize that it's hard to apply this product when the
ground is that wet, so we're willing to work with them."

Minskey said she and other DEP officials will monitor the NViro site in Fort Meade to ensure that the
piles continue to dwindle.

N-Viro opened its Fort Meade operations in 1996 to process sludge -- the solid material left after
sewage is treated -- into fertilizer. It didn't take long for complaints about the odor to begin.

Managers with N-Viro argued that their plant wasn't the sole source of the odor. They pointed to a
nearby landfill and a plant that processes chicken manure for fertilizer as offenders, but the DEP
wasn't convinced.

State regulators said N-Viro took steps to alleviate the odor problem, but that wasn't enough.

Bowers said he's negotiating on another site for the company's operations, but he declined to say
where that is. N-Viro also operates a facility in Daytona Beach.

Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzbiz@yahoo.com or 863-533-9070.