“Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a water treatment process that clarifies wastewaters (or other waters) by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids. The removal is achieved by dissolving air in the water or wastewater under pressure and then releasing the air at atmospheric pressure in a flotation tank basin. The released air forms tiny bubbles which adhere to the suspended matter causing the suspended matter to float to the surface of the water where it may then be removed by a skimming device.”

“Dissolved air flotation is very widely used in treating the industrial wastewater effluents from oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, natural gas processing plants, paper mills, general water treatment and similar industrial facilities. A similar process known as induced gas flotation is also used for wastewater treatment.”

Surprised?

The above definitions for Dissolved Air Floatation Systems are taken directly from Wikipedia and has very quickly, within the past 12 months, come to the forefront of a major issue confronting our county and its moniker as the “Green Garden County”.

If something is not done about DAF and done quickly, we will become what Governor William Donald Schaefer called the “…house of the Eastern Shore”, referring to the small “out” door facility where you went when you had to go. The Governor used a less acceptable term to express his displeasure that most counties did not vote for the Ex-mayor of Baltimore.
Some may recall Governor Schaefer making this comment to an Eastern Shore legislator while walking to the podium for his first state of the state address. The Eastern Shore did not vote for the ex-mayor.

DAF systems have been used for decades as a method of dealing with industrial waste using proven methods to remove and discard what is no longer useful, known as scum, and discarding it in a safe and efficient manner.

What is happening in Caroline County is this DAF process is being used as a method of disposing of animal processing plant waste, more specifically chicken plants, and converting it to a soil nutrient used by farmers to enhance the productivity of their soil. Think fertilizer.

In the process of converting a chicken from a fluffy white feathery bird to a package of boneless breasts, chicken wings, and thighs, there is a lot of water being used. This wastewater contains all kinds of nasty residue that have no use for man or beast. All of this waste liquid material has to go somewhere. It no longer serves any useful purpose for the chicken processor.

Seeing an opportunity to generate income a wealthy entrepreneur/farmer who is not from our state has seized on the opportunity to take this material off the hands of the chicken processing plants, for a fee.

At the plant, this wastewater is monitored and regulated to the extent that the processor must adhere to proper protocol and procedures of collection, storage, and removal to assure that this material does not leak or contaminate other parts of the process or the environment.

Once the material is loaded into a tanker truck at the processing plant it is taken to an offsite open-air facility or DAF pit in Caroline County where it is unloaded and the process of separating liquid from solids begins. It is from this open-air pit that the magic of turning chicken plant waste into beneficial fertilizer happens.

Once this process is complete the residual beneficial material is pumped into a vehicle that will transfer and apply the beneficial material into the soil. This part of the process is monitored by a farmer’s Nutrient Management Plan which regulates what and how much of certain elements are being applied, most specifically, nitrogen.

It is important to note that in this process we must rely on regulatory agencies to monitor wastewater where it is created, the plant, and we must rely on regulatory agencies to monitor the end product being put in the ground, according to the farmer’s nutrient plan.

But there is no regulatory agency monitoring the storage of this material during the process of converting to a usable product. There is not even a regulatory agency monitoring what is going into the pit. The pit could contain almost anything. It has been known that this entrepreneur/farmer has been hauling cow manure from his dairy farm to put in his DAF pits in Ridgely and Greensboro.

While this slurry of waste is being stored and the material is mixed to separate liquids from solids, a byproduct is an odor that severely impacts the lives of neighbors and property owners.

The smell permeates everything not only outside but inside and affects neighbors in all directions and within thousands of feet if not a mile, depending on how hard the wind blows. Regardless of which direction the wind is blowing the stench is so severe it survives and can be irritating to those nearby. As we know, on the Eastern Shore, where there is agricultural odor, there will be flies. These flies are not only a nuisance but may at times carry diseases that may be transferred to humans.

Our county commissioners, hearing the complaints of neighbors who are forced to remain inside during periods when the sludge is being stirred, are attempting to stop any further growth of these DAF pits in our county and to also find a way to stop this infringement on their right to enjoy their property, destroying their way of life. This issue goes way beyond a landowner’s “Right to Farm” in Caroline County.

I would argue that accepting wastewater material from a commercial facility for a fee is not covered by an individual’s right to farm. The standard “Right to Farm” contract addendum clearly states:

“Caroline County has determined the inconveniences or discomforts with such agricultural operations shall not be considered to be an interference with reasonable use and enjoyment of land if such operations are conducted in accordance with generally accepted agricultural management practices.” I would argue that storing DAF generated by commercial food processing facilities, and manure from other locations is not a “generally accepted agricultural management practice.”

This DAF issue is another example of a powerful person acting as if the laws of our land do not pertain to them. Without laws specifically excluding an activity with defined penalties, it is unlikely that perpetrators will curtail the activity regardless of the consequences to others. Ignoring the odor is much easier when you live miles and counties or states away from where the activity is occurring.

This is the reverse of NAMBY, (Not In My Backyard) thinking, where you can do whatever you want to do just don’t do it in my backyard, or close to me. This is “IDWIWIYBY,” (I will Do Whatever I Want In Your Backyard).

I need to make clear that I completely understand the benefits of using DAF as a soil nutrient when applied according to a farmer’s Nutrient Management Plan. I also understand that there are proper procedures and protocols for managing DAF pits to mitigate odor and flies. I am not suggesting its agricultural use be impeded.

What I am calling out is the blatant commercialization of DAF at the expense of our community whereby a landowner is collecting food processing waste for a fee and storing and processing it without regard to its impact on neighbors. There is also road damage from truck traffic, a decline in quality of life for those in close proximity, and a general disregard for regulations and laws.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) needs to step up and plug the regulatory hole created by DAF storage and processing. Food Processing plants have regulations to oversee, store and dispose of processed wastewater. Farmers have regulations and requirements to monitor and manage soil application materials through their Nutrient Management Plans. Where the material is stored and processed in between these processes needs to be regulated and monitored, and the county should not bear this burden. It has been argued by some that the end user of what is coming from the pits in question doesn’t really know “exactly” what they are applying to the soil because different types of waste are being put into the pits with different kinds of chemical interactions occurring. Who monitors and assesses the material before it is applied to the soil?

The situation our commissioners are wrestling with has been brought on by one individual who owns property on River and Peaviner Roads where DAF pits are located. He does not live in Caroline County and over the last five years has accumulated farmland. This land is used to apply DAF material that may contain contaminates that could impact our groundwater. Who is testing the material before it is applied to the land? No one seems to know. The risk is broadened by his apparent failure to secure permits, install storm water management mitigation where required, comply with cease and desist orders and show regard for our community.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. The Green Garden County is full of farmers who respect the land and their neighbors and do things the right way. Unfortunately, all the good they do as stewards of their land is being tarnished by an individual who has no regard for either.

I am fed up with business people, politicians and others in positions of power who feel that they are above the law and who focus on self rather than others.

Mr. Rowe is Vice President/Lending for Bay Capital Mortgage Corp. with offices in Easton and Annapolis. He has lived in Caroline for his entire life and supports the county by volunteering in a variety of ways. He currently lives near Greensboro with his wife Jeanne and daughter Kelsey.