Victory! Washington Court Upholds Biosolids Application

Biosolids earned a legal victory this month when the Washington Court of Appeals struck down a Wahkiakum County ban on the land application of Class B biosolids. The 3-0 ruling was decisive, siding with the state’s Department of Ecology, which argued a locality could not overrule a state program.In 2011, Wahkiakum County created the ban after residents expressed concern about the health of fish and wildlife populations in the county. Residents also worried that land-applied biosolids could infiltrate drinking water supplies in the event of extreme flooding. The ordinance applied only to Class B biosolids.The DOE maintained biosolids contain beneficial