Sludge spill slows traffic
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - An organic fertilizer spill closed state Route 415 south of the Village of Bath at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to state police stationed in Bath.

Trooper Benjamin Dodge said a truck belonging to Dixon Environmental Inc., located on Bonny Hill Road in the Town of Bath, lost a portion of its manure load as it crossed the railroad tracks heading south on Route 415 near the May Street intersection. The manure consisted of human waste that had been collected at the Bath waste water treatment plant, Dodge said.

Crews under the supervision of the state Department of T r a n s p o r t a t i o n a n d Environmental Conservation supervised a two-hour clean-up of the area, Dodge said. Dixon Environmental also dispatched equipment to the area.

Matthew Benesh, director of municipal utilities for Bath Electric, Gas and Water systems, described the waste as "digested sludge" with a reduced pathogen level due to processing at the waste water treatment plant. The manure may be spread on farmlands under the supervision of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, according to Benesh.

Phil Dixon, a co-owner of Dixon Environmental, told

The Courier he has been using organic human fertilizer since 1978 at the Bonny Hill road farm, noting the material has been aerobically digested to reduce harmful pathogens.

The farm truck, he noted, was carrying about 20 tons of fertilizer and lost about 3,000 pounds in the road.

Dixon Environmental grows a variety of crops, including corn, rye, hay and soy beans.