Something Stinks!
Green Acres sounds like an ideal place but names can be misleading. To a passerby, this farm’s green and yellow fields look inviting as they spread out in southern Kern County CA. Green Acres Farm is a 4,688 acre farm owned by Los Angeles and managed by Responsible Biosolids Management. Los Angeles County began disposing of its sewage sludge by applying it to farmland at Green Acres in 1994 and purchased the farm in 2000. The farm grows wheat, corn, and alfalfa, which is mostly fed to dairy cattle.
Until 1987, Los Angeles dumped its sewage sludge in the ocean. Once that practice was banned, L.A. began disposing of its sludge on landfills and farms. "The city bought Green Acres Farm in 2000 for $9.6 million and then spent $35 million to upgrade its sewage treatment system" to produce Class A Biosolids. Following the Green Acres purchase, Los Angeles began sending 750 tons per day in 28 trucks to Green Acres, a 120 mile trip. On June 6, 2006, 85% of Kern County voters voted to ban sludge application in Kern County. However court hearings and rulings ensued. As of 2020 the courts and the state have not, as of yet, let the ban take effect.
References:
eng.lacity.org/green_acres_biosolids_lan
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kern_County%27s_Ban_o...
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Green_Acres_Farm_(Kern_County,_CA)
Something Stinks!
Green Acres sounds like an ideal place but names can be misleading. To a passerby, this farm’s green and yellow fields look inviting as they spread out in southern Kern County CA. Green Acres Farm is a 4,688 acre farm owned by Los Angeles and managed by Responsible Biosolids Management. Los Angeles County began disposing of its sewage sludge by applying it to farmland at Green Acres in 1994 and purchased the farm in 2000. The farm grows wheat, corn, and alfalfa, which is mostly fed to dairy cattle.
Until 1987, Los Angeles dumped its sewage sludge in the ocean. Once that practice was banned, L.A. began disposing of its sludge on landfills and farms. "The city bought Green Acres Farm in 2000 for $9.6 million and then spent $35 million to upgrade its sewage treatment system" to produce Class A Biosolids. Following the Green Acres purchase, Los Angeles began sending 750 tons per day in 28 trucks to Green Acres, a 120 mile trip. On June 6, 2006, 85% of Kern County voters voted to ban sludge application in Kern County. However court hearings and rulings ensued. As of 2020 the courts and the state have not, as of yet, let the ban take effect.
References:
eng.lacity.org/green_acres_biosolids_lan
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kern_County%27s_Ban_o...
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Green_Acres_Farm_(Kern_County,_CA)