Coldwater and the Board of Public Utilities plan to renew leases on four parcels of land it owns for future use. Three were approved Monday, for a term of five years.
Three of those parcels also provide a location for CBPU to apply biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant. Facility manager Jon Foley said the disposal is vital to the city.
The city leases the land for farming until it has a specific project for each parcel or part of the parcel.
Two parcels brought $155 per acre. On North Willowbrook Road, 46,860 acres of property remain, purchased for a tech park. Part was sold for a new apartments project now under development.
The third property is the former Zebolsky Farm south of Newton Road with 74,270 acres, of which just under 67 are tillable. The land along I-69 was purchased for power line right-of-way. CBPU will consider a solar project on the part of the land.
Farmer Brian Sexton won all three leases with final approval Monday night. He agreed to pay the city $120 per acre on the Rumsey Farm, with 14.65 of which 11 are tillable. The city purchased the property west of Western Avenue for future housing.
Biosolids will be injected on all but the Rumsey property.
The council agreed to a lease for the “Bailey Farm” located at the northwest corner of River Road and U.S. 12. It is the future site for the expansion of Oak Grove Cemetery.
The Barone family farmed the 69 tillable aces since 1997, most recently paying $165 per tillable acre. When the lease ended in 2021, Sexton Farms LLC expressed interest in the farm lease. Sexton won an auction at $425 per acre. He will inject CBPU biosolids there. The city cannot finalize the bid for 30 days.
Mark Barone questioned how this makes economic sense.
Foley said Sexton has a contract to dispose of the waste from the wastewater plant on more than 600 acres of land he owns and controls around the city.
According to Foley, Sexton won disposal rights replacing two other firms who did the work in the past. CBPU must dispose of 2 million gallons of the liquid with biosolids a year from wastewater treatment from city customers.
State regulations place limits on the type of land, weather and other conditions for injection. The injection process is approved for 7,000 per acre. Sexton could dispose of 4.2 million per year.
Foley said it may not go on any field or crop.
“It’s got to be a non-human edible crop,” Foley said. “So it cannot be, like, sweet corn. It cannot be tomatoes. It cannot be potatoes.”
Most of the land grows seed corn or soybeans.
Injection near waterways is prohibited, as is doing it on land that has standing water or frozen ground.
“It could be just a ditch,” Foley said. “I have to stay away from a residence well and even septic tanks.”
Sexton Farms is certified for the application. Foley said he collects the material at the plant and takes care of land injections.
The remaining primary sludge is sent through a digester as wastewater is treated. Temperature rises to destroy infectious material.
“We put it in a storage tank,” Foley said. “It’s right around about 93% water 7% solids.”
The waste is tested four times each year to ensure safety. Testing now includes PFAS. Foley must provide extensive paperwork for regulators.
A Detroit firm servicing Coldwater lost its state license years ago, so CBPU moved to Biotech. In 2018, Biotech charged the city 4.4 cents per gallon for haul-away and disposal of the biosolids liquid. Prices were increasing 3% to 4% per year. Biotech injected only twice per year.
Biotech used some of the Sexton lands. Sexton decided to become certified.
“As of right now, Sexton is 2.5 cents a gallon,” Foley said. “So we have big cost savings, almost half.”
Cost will increase to 3 cents to cover fuel increases. Sexton injects year-round.
Foley said biosolids do not replace fertilizer, but do provide for trace elements and phosphorous to improve the soil.
There is a class A disposal process. That includes compressing and incineration, which turns the waste into ash for land application.
“It’s not cost-effective for the city. We have looked into it,” Foley said. “It’s very expensive.”
Coldwater leases land for farming and biosolids waste disposal – Coldwater Daily Reporter
