“The government hates you!” Texas ranchers raise hell as fellow farmer approves use of gruesome 'biosolids' on land

Ranchers in a rural Texas town have declared war on a fellow resident over his plans to use fertilizer made from human waste on their land.

The owner of 200 acres of land in Van Zandt County recently filed an application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) seeking permission to spread biosolids/sewage sludge over his land as fertilizer, according to the local station WFAA.

friendly reminder that biosolids (a fancy word for sewage, aka human shit and your community's pee) are being sprayed on your crops with 0 proof of safety

Know your farmer because your government HATES you pic.twitter.com/EHQmXShKJe

— Angelic. Pomegranate (@RealFoodRina) August 7, 2024

After submitting the request, the city held a public hearing on July 25 during which a crowd of local ranchers and farmers criticized the plan.

“How would you feel if this was in your backyard?” County Commissioner Wendy Spivey asked during the hearing.

“This chemical is toxic,” added Scott Tuley, another commissioner. “I stand with the ranchers, farmers, landowners and people in this room and ask you to deny this permit on the basis of all chemicals forever they are toxic and not needed in rural Texas.”

According to WFAA, biosolids/sewage sludge contains high levels of carcinogenic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

A TCEQ representative also attended the hearing to let residents know the permit had been approved. This led locals to question why biosolids and sewage sludge have not been banned as fertiliser.

“TCEQ representatives said their hands are tied because, under current Texas regulations, they don't have the ability to test for PFAS,” according to WFAA.

Meanwhile, a representative of the company providing the biosolids/sewage sludge, Denali Water Solutions, said it's not a money issue.

“We're paying the waste generators to take it out and spread it, but we're not paying, and he's not paying us to take it, and we're not paying him,” the representative said.

Residents, meanwhile, demanded that the permit be put on hold until the Environmental Protection Agency can review the matter and ensure that PFAs do not contaminate nearby properties, streams, etc.

Last week I convened a public meeting with TCEQ and a biosolids permit applicant, where community members participated and raised thoughtful questions and expressed serious concerns. Here is my letter to TCEQ, requesting a pause in biosolids and waste permitting. pic.twitter.com/LMEo5KoVpz

— State Representative Jill Dutton (@JillDutton) July 31, 2024

“On the outskirts of town, less than 10 miles away, there's a large underground aquifer where a lot of these people's wells probably get their water from,” said local resident Chris Morris.

“You can't guarantee that the aquifer isn't going to be poisoned by these things that you're going to put in the ground. And as a lifelong Texan, I find that appalling,” he added.

“Well, I can't guarantee anything ever because I'm not the one making the requests,” the Denali Water Solutions representative said in a rebuttal. “We have operations people who do that. But it's always our intention, with TCEQ oversight, to follow the regulations.”

A previous WFAA investigation found several cases across the state of Texas where residents believe local land has been contaminated due to biosolids/sewage sludge.

“Here the ranchers [in Johnson County] they say their cattle, fish and horses are dying and getting sick from fertilizer spread on nearby farmland,” the station reported in April. “The fertilizer is made from treated human waste the city of Fort Worth.”

“The company that makes the fertilizer says its products meet government standards. County officials have launched a criminal investigation and the ranchers are suing, saying the fertilizer runoff has rendered their land useless,” continues the report

A local rancher, Tony Coleman, told the station that 10 cows, two horses and five ponds full of fish had died from the biosolids/sewage sludge.

Late last year, Coleman hired a detective, Dana Ames, to find out where the biosolids/sewage sludge was coming from. He traced it to a Fort Worth facility used to treat sewage. He also discovered that the city has a contract with a company called Synagro that uses their leftover biosolids to make fertilizer.

Coleman has since filed a lawsuit against Synagro.

“It's scary and I think our customers are hoping there will be relief for them, but they're looking at having to leave their farms and potentially euthanize all their animals, which is extremely emotional and difficult to deal with Mary Whittle told WFAA.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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