Sludge management regulations and their applicability in mountainous regions
Wett, B.; Becker, W.; Ingerle, K.
Water Science and Technology a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research 46(10): 305-310
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0273-1223 PMID: 12479485 Document Number: 548331
The Commission of the European Communities (CEC) is just working out a new directive in order to regulate the agricultural reuse of sewage sludge. This new regulation will also effect a "special case" - sludge usage in a mountainous environment - which will be discussed in this paper. Three reuse sites at small waste water treatment plants of mountain refuges of the German Alpine Association in the Austrian Alps, at altitudes more than 2000 m asl are investigated. Applied sludge, soil and drainage flow from lysimeters are analysed. Concerning heavy metal concentrations domestic sewage sludge from these sites differs significantly from municipal sludge. A comparison with background concentrations reveals that no relevant accumulative pollution of the soil is possible. An increase of coliform bacteria of maximum two orders of magnitude is preserved during the long winter period and indicates a limited hygienic risk.