Sign On in Support of a Biosolids Ordinance in Albemarle
Join a coalition of organizations, businesses, and individuals as we call on our county’s Board of Supervisors to adopt a biosolids ordinance that will take full advantage of a county’s authority to test, monitor, and regulate the land application of sewage sludge within its borders.
Ready to Sign On?
Fill out this form to add your name and organization.
Read the Letter
View or download a pdf of the support letter here.
See the Fact Sheet
Learn why an ordinance is needed or share with a friend, here.
Dig deeper.
Read a draft ordinance DSOM prepared for the county, plus supporting documents, here.
Sewage Sludge: Coming Soon to a Field Near You
In early 2025, Synagro submitted an application to DEQ for a “reissue” permit that, if approved, will allow the company to spread biosolids (sewage sludge) on properties belonging to 8 different owners in Albemarle County. We found the permit application listed on DEQ’s PEEP system, but in order to get any information about it, we had to do a FOIA request. (A big thank you to our friends at Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance for making that happen.)
Total Area in the Reissue Permit Application: 5,770 Acres in Albemarle County
The application combines properties that have had sludge spread on them before and adds a new property that is 1,650 acres. (Note: Some owners have expressed to Don’t Spread On Me that they wish to be removed from the permit application, so the actual acreage will be less than this total. See the list of property owners below.).
The files from the FOIA were released as two collections in two folders. We have converted some of the files to more accessible formats and created some summary files to help give them some organization. The results are presented below. If you would like to see the original files, copies of them can be found here.
One of the FOIA folders contained files that could only be opened with GIS mapping software. This image is a screen grab of what you see when you are able to open the files.
The Properties
Each of the property owners gets their own permit application. They contain information about the owners, the properties (including maps), prior sludge spreading, intended usage, restrictions, and a list of neighboring properties, so you can see if you are next to an area spread with sludge.
Clicking on a name will take you to a folder with that property’s application and, in some cases, other documents.
AB 04 Rob Harrison*
AB 07 WP McClesky *
AB 09 (NEW) Rob Nicholson
* Strike-through text indicates property owners that have decided they will not be spreading biosolids.
Where is This Sewage Sludge Coming From?
The “Source List” document has information about the wastewater treatment plants that are supplying the sewage sludge.
Overview Files
The folder named “Overview Files” contains pdfs and spreadsheets that consolidate data and information about the application. These include important information about which cities and towns the sludge is coming from, how it is treated, and where it will be stored.
There is also an “Explanation” sheet that summarizes the contents of each document. Click the button below to access this folder.
Email Correspondence
For a deeper dive into the permit application process, you may wish to read the emails sent among DEQ and Synagro staff about this application. This folder also contains a note of explanation and a spreadsheet that summarizes and organizes the emails. Click the button below to access this folder.