Waste plan not down drain

Water Commissioner Bernard Brunwasser says a new, privatized sludge plant in Southwest Philadelphia would reduce the human waste stored on site, require fewer diesel trucks to haul that waste, and eliminate the putrid smell that can extend more than a mile in any direction from under the Platt Bridge.

What seems like an easy sell has been anything but because, in part, it would eliminate 60 union jobs at the city's current "biosolids" plant, a nice name for the not-so-nice mess that comes out of the city's wastewater.

The Nutter administration introduced legislation yesterday in City Council that would allow a private partnership, led by the country's largest biosolids contractor, to take over disposal from the city's wastewater treatment facilities.

The initiative, introduced by Mayor John F. Street in early 2006, had stalled because of opposition from District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents workers at the current plant. Union officials could not be reached yesterday.

Mayor Nutter wants to gain approval before Council breaks for the summer June 19. The proposal includes language that guarantees employees at the existing plant will not lose their jobs.

Houston-based Synagro Technologies Inc. and two minority-owned partners would spend at least $65 million to build a biosolids treatment plant next to the old one, Brunwasser said yesterday.

Under current technology, the Water Department stores 200,000 tons of semi-dried waste over 72 acres at 7800 Penrose Ferry Rd. Synagro technology would reduce that to 60,000 tons over 30 acres and do away with the smell, Brunwasser said. With less volume, the number of truck trips required to haul the fertilizer-quality dried waste would go from 10,000 to 3,000, Brunwasser said.

And it would save the city $6 million annually, Brunwasser estimates.

"We're very anxious to get this going," he said.

In other business, Councilman James F. Kenney, after hearings on the issue, introduced legislation requiring covered pedestrian walkways at construction sites.

Kenney already has introduced legislation to restrict the closing of sidewalks and traffic lanes. His legislation yesterday increases the strength standards for covered walkways, so the Streets Department can ensure pedestrians will be protected.

Kenney said safety and convenience factors outweighed objections from the construction industry on costs.

"The safety of our pedestrians and the movement of traffic through our streets is at least as important as their complaints."

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. called for hearings exploring "green zones" - areas of the city offering tax or other incentives to encourage reductions in greenhouse gases, use of renewable energy, water conservation, even urban agriculture.