NJ May Lift Treated Sewage Ban

State regulators may soon expand the use of treated sewage as a fertilizer.

New Jersey's Agricultural Development Committee has proposed lifting a long-standing ban on fertilizing farms in the Farmland Preservation Program with sludge. That's the solids left over after liquid waste are treated and piped to streams, rivers, and the ocean.

The state Department of Environmental Protection may also follow suit and use sludge-fertilizer on other state-controlled land. But that decision won't be made until further study is done on the potential health risks involved with the plan.

Advocates note that many studies haven't found links between sludge-based fertilizer, known as biosolids, and health problems.

But some environmentalists and scientists fear the sludge may contain contaminants such as fire retardants and heavy metals.

Author: NBC10/AP