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["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

> Alas, Gene is still in the throes of septic tanks and leach fields. I
> must write him or call him and burn his ears. The piece is an ode to
> manure and he either does not know or will not accept that human
> manure is a valuable resource, not to be wasted in a septic system.
> What's the world coming to when you can't rely on Gene Logsdon for
> common sense advice?

The Organic farmer I worked with this last winter and spring talked about 
all the wasted fertilizer that was pumped through sewage treatment 
facilities.  This is a huge resource going to waste because people don't 
want to even think of it (that is until a tourist beach is red flagged) and 
too many nasty chemicals are disposed through the sewers.  Recent tests of 
municipal sewage have shown not only traces of industrial chemicals, 
prescription drugs, but also traces of controlled substances.  The authors 
of this last study have not been able to find a city that will allow them to 
do a more definitive study, cities are afraid of the negative publicity if 
it came out they were the Cocaine capital of the country.

One of the books I read on urine or humanure talked about urban nitrogen 
collection.  It advocated a collection tank and a regularly scheduled pump 
out.  The sewage would then be turned into a high quality nitrogen rich 
fertilizer.  We do waste millions of tons of metals and fertilizers every 
year.

Don Bowen      KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html