James Dunbar
President
Darrell Winans
Vice-President
Ben Nydegger
Secretary
Terri Prather
Treasurer
Tania Gheseger
Past President
Deidre Bartlett
Cat Gowan
JR Inman
Karla Guevarra
Mike Van Ham
Steve Wilson
MacLeod Pappidas
Mike Gates
Rebecca Singer
Education Committee
Cat Gowan, Chair
Rebecca Singer, Biofest Chair
JR Inman
Sally Brown
Karla Guevarra
MacLeod Pappidas
Mike Gates
Dave Kenney
Membership Committee
Mike Van Ham, Chair
Alan Aplin
Darrell Winans
Terri Prather
Mike Gates
Jason Duffin
Outreach Committee
Rebecca Singer, Chair
Deidre Bartlett, Vice-Chair
Steve Wilson
MacLeod Pappidas
John Lavery
Research Committee
Tania Gheseger, Chair
Erika Kinno, Vice-chair
Ben Nydegger
Tressa Nicholas
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Project Engineer
Engineered Compost Systems
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Do you have a job opening you want advertised? NWB members can email job postings to amy@nwbiosolids.org
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Northwest Biosolids
Calendar of Events
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Biofest 2023: Northwest Biosolids’ 35th Biofest!
Tues., Sept. 26th- Thurs., Sept. 28th, 2023,
Campbell’s Resort in Chelan, WA.
More info coming soon!
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From the Board President’s Desk:
A REVIEW AND PREVIEW OF THE YEAR…
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Greetings from your Board President of Northwest Biosolids! After a long-anticipated wait for another holiday season, it seems to have passed too quickly and somewhat quietly. Even if these special times don’t exceed our expectations, we always enter a new year with hopes and promise for a better future.
It is these same thoughts we have for our members at NWB. The past year brought some great high points for us to look back upon. We brought ourselves together for a return (in-person!) to Biofest in Semiahmoo. Our membership grew throughout the year as utilities looked for expertise to meet the challenges of our industry. We expanded our research efforts to be able to have the data and science needed to make critical decisions involved with our role as stewards of the environment. We held several different educational webinars that brought in attendees from all over the region and even outside our region.
We also continued to deal with the many-sided issues related to PFAS, micro-plastics, and emerging contaminants... Click the button below to read the full President's Message.
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Soil Health II
By Dr. Sally Brown, University of Washington
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Soil health is the focus of the last library of 2022. Smack dab in the middle of the holidays when just about everyone with a brain will realize that a surfeit of food and drink are a much greater health concern than anything with a carbon fluoride bond. June 2020 was the first library with this focus. At that time, everybody was excited that two long term biosolids sites were going to be included in a national survey led by the Soil Health Institute. Our very own (actually WSU’s very own) site in Douglas County and another dryland wheat site in Colorado. The results of that study are now out and are the subject of the library. So, while you eat too much and drink too much, you can focus on soil health and forget about your expanding waistline. And as an extra bonus, Deirdre Griffin -LaHue will be including Douglas County specific details for each of the papers. Dr. Griffin-LaHue will be writing her own Boulder Park biosolids-focused papers, but this will be a great tease in the meantime.
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Northwest Biosolids
2022 Research Round-up
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We know that research is one of the things our members most want Northwest Biosolids to prioritize! This round-up gathers the infamous Resource Libraries and Research Short Stories in one place and captures learning events and the valuable research conducted. Your 2022 membership dues helped to fund all of this and more!
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The Northwest Biosolids (NWB) Board of Directors offers our sincere wishes to Dan Thompson on his retirement at the end of December 2022. Dan served for many years with NWB (most recently as Co-Chair of the Board Regulatory/Outreach Committee) and as the representative from the City of Tacoma (as the City’s Environmental Services Manager). Dan was very instrumental in the development of the nationally recognized TAGRO program which showcases the value and beneficial uses of biosolids in the Pacific Northwest. He earned his degree in forest management from Washington State University and followed that with a Master’s and PhD from University of Washington. His more than 30 years of working experience with biosolids covered both Seattle Metro/King County and the City of Everett before joining the City of Tacoma. At NWB, Dan’s leadership was evident in the policy-making decisions of the Board and in tracking critical legislative and regulatory activity in Olympia and locally throughout Washington State. Besides serving on the NWB Board, including a tenure as Board President, Dan was actively involved with the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) serving as Co-Chair of the Biosolids Committee. Dan’s move into retirement will likely not slow him down from his passions of hiking and comedy. We are happy to wish Dan and his wife an enjoyable and active retirement in their many upcoming adventures. As always, Dan may be leaving our organization, but his influence and friendships will be long-lasting and we hope to see him engage with NWB at upcoming events. As the saying goes, “You will be missed, but not forgotten.”
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Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid:
Biosolids Segment
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Northwest Biosolids is proud to support the After the Flush project and the Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid Biosolids Segment that was televised. Curious about what happens after you flush? Join the journey with Viewpoint.
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20-21 Biosolids Biennial Report
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EPA has published its ninth biennial report reviewing the federal sewage sludge standards at 40 CFR Part 503, covering the reporting period 2020-2021. The Clean Water Act requires that EPA review sewage sludge regulations at least every two years to identify additional pollutants that may occur in biosolids. The data gleaned from the biennial review process may be used to assess risk from chemicals found in biosolids and to set regulations for those pollutants if sufficient scientific evidence shows they could harm, or present a risk to, human health or the environment. Click read more to learn more about the Biennial Report No. 9 (Reporting Period 2020-2021) and Fact Sheet.
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