Background: The Philadelphia Water Department wants a privatized biosolids plant in the South West Philadelphia area. But, there has been a heated debate raging on for more than two years concerning the future of biosolids treatment in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Water Department has been exaggerating the benefits, intentionally misrepresenting data and cleverly omitting the drawbacks of the project. All the while they have been spreading propaganda that the only reason AFSCME Local 394 opposes the project is because of Union jobs; here are the facts:

Statement: Commissioner Brunwasser states human waste is stored on site.

Fact: Human waste is not stored on the Water Department Facility. Biosolids is a processed organic material which is approved by State and Federal regulators for use as a fertilizer.

Statement: Commissioner Brunwasser states the new plant will “eliminate the putrid smell that can extend more than a mile in any direction”.

Fact: Odors are no longer emitted from the facility. The Water Department stopped the production of compost in October of 2007. The composting process involved the use of equipment which released odors into the atmosphere. Development of a private biosolids plant will not accomplish any meaningful odor reduction. (Just ask New York Congressman Jose E. Serrano about the New York Organic Fertilizer Co)
(http://serrano.house.gov/PressRelease.aspx?NewsID=1327)

Statement: “The Water Department stores 200,000 tons of semi-dried waste over 72 acres”.

Fact: Only 10,000 tons are stored on the site at any point in time, for the convenience of shipping product to farms and mines for recycling. This is done on a 3 acre parcel on the most remote part of the site.

Statement: “Truck traffic will be reduced from 10,000 to 3,000”.

Fact: While this may be true, there has never been an impact on the community. The facility is located along side I-95. 100% of the truck traffic leaving the site uses I-95 and does not drive through the community.

Omission: Commissioner Brunwasser intentionally omits the fact that the new facility would need to burn nearly 510 billion BTUs (500 million cubic feet) of natural gas to heat dry (cook) the biosolids in order to achieve the aforementioned truck traffic reduction. This astronomical use of natural gas at the proposed facility will actually cause an overall increase in the emission of greenhouse gases (most notably carbon monoxide) equal to nearly 21,000 50-mile truck trips per year.

Omission: Commissioner Brunwasser also intentionally omits the fact that this increase in pollution will be locally concentrated at the exhaust stack of the proposed facility mere feet from the George C. Platt Bridge.

Statement: Commissioner Brunwasser estimates “it would save the City 6 million dollars annually”.

Fact: City Controller, Alan Butkowitz, after careful examination of this proposal cautioned in his conclusion “…to reflect the overestimations, a decrease of $50,421,356, an adjustment of this size clearly demonstrates an apparent effort on the part of PWD to inflate the cost savings from the proposal to make the privatization more appealing… Therefore, we (the Controller’s Office) recommend that the Mayor and City Council carefully consider all the relevant financial and non-financial factors in making decisions on this matter”. (http://www.philadelphiacontroller.org/publications/audits/02_2006_Analys...)

Omission: Commissioner Brunwasser intentionally omits the fact that the proposed contract will put ratepayers on the hook for the full cost of the natural gas used by the proposed facility. Again, this facility would use nearly 510 billion BTUs of natural gas annually for up to 25 years. This is in addition to the millions of dollars paid to the contractor to run the facility. The risk of natural gas cost volatility will be borne entirely by the ratepayers while the contractor collects millions in profits without taking any risk.

AFSCME Local 394, the Water Department Workers Union has a responsibility to the citizens of Philadelphia to challenge any project that will not be fiscally or environmentally beneficial to our City. (Sustainability) Our Union has carefully examined other processes and has done the impact studies. AFSCME Local 394 has ascertained that the new facility will not enhance the community but, become an ever increasing burden both financially and environmentally. AFSCME Local 394 encourages all Philadelphians to contact the City Council members of the Committee on Finance below and urge them to vote NO on this issue. We also encourage all Philadelphians to ask Mayor Nutter how this proposal fits into his “Greening of Philadelphia”. He can be reached at The Mayor’s Action Center, City Hall, Room 116, 215-686-3000 or 215-686-2250.

The Executive and Delegate Board
AFSCME Local 394
Jeff Gilliam
Business Agent

City Council Committee on Finance:

Chair: Marion B.Tasco City Hall, Room 577, 215-686-3454 or 3455
Vice Chair: Jannie L. Blackwell City Hall, Room 408, 215-686-3418 or 3419
Members:
Blondell Reynolds Brown City Hall, Room 581, 215-686-3438 or 3439
Frank DiCicco City Hall, Room 332, 215-686-3458 or 3459
Bill Green City Hall, Room 599, 215-686-3420 or 3421
William K. Greenlee City Hall, Room 580, 215-686-3446 or 3447
James E. Kenney City Hall, Room 330, 215-686-3450 or 3451
Brian J. O’Neill City Hall, Room 562, 215-686-3422 or 3423
W. Wilson Goode, Jr. City Hall, Room 316, 215-686-3414 or 3415