Firm wants to spread sludge in Caroline

A Fauquier County company is seeking state approval to spread treated sewage sludge on nearly 6,500 acres in Caroline County. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing a permit application by Recyc Systems Inc. in Remington to apply what's commonly known as biosolids on dozens of farm fields throughout Caroline. Contractors must secure a Virginia Pollution Abatement permit before applying the sludge, a soil nutrient that recycles the main byproduct of the sewage-treatment process while providing fertilizer for farmers. The permit would not allow discharge of wastes from the material into nearby waterways, and would expire in February 2020. Beth Biller, with the DEQ's Northern Regional Office in Woodbridge, said Recyc Systems is one of three contractors with applications in various stages of the permitting process in Caroline. If approved, the permit would be Recyc Systems' first in the largely rural county, though the company has secured approval to work in other localities in central Virginia and the Northern Neck.