August 2013
Twenty Years Ago
The Human Stew & Municipal Sewage
by Rebecca Meloy
To celebrate 20 years of publishing Whatcom Watch, we will be publishing excerpts from 20 years ago. David Laws has been generous enough to volunteer to review the Whatcom Watch from 20 years ago to find suitable material to reprint. The below excerpts are from the August 1993 issue of Whatcom Watch.
The Human Stew
by Rebecca Meloy
Municipal sewage has been dumped on Whatcom County agricultural land. The hazards of sewage can pose dangers to humans and animals alike, not to mention the polluting of nearby surface and ground waters. Aids [sic], hepatitis, E. coli 015-H7, heavy metals, a multitude of viruses and tens of thousands of organic compounds can be found in human sewage. Does this sound like the soil amendment to grow or food?
This issue is not to be passed-off lightly in our county. When Linda Zander, National Director for Help for Sewage Victims, was a guest speaker for the Whatcom Watch roundtable last spring, assocated local professionals attended. A representatives from Recomp of Washington was present, as was a local attorney from the firm of Langabeer, Tull and Cuillier, a firm which frequently represents large industrial developer interests.
[...]
Legal Action Pending on Municipal Sewage
by Rebecca Meloy
In Whatcom County the Zander v. Western Services Superior Court case is currently pending on the disposal of sewage sludge upon farm land. Plaintiffs include the Vevag family, Ray and Linda Zander, Al Hicks (deceased), the Condon family and the Robert and Della Zander family. And defenddants include the Everson, Nooksack, Sumas, Lynden and Whatcom County governments along with the Birchbay [sic] Sewer District, Western Services, Inc., and John and Bernice Van Dalen.
In 1990 the permit to spread municipal sewage, next door to the Zander Dairy Farm, on converted wetlands was revoked with prejudice and prima facie at that time.
In 1992 there was a dismissed summary judgement. Zander’s attorney overwhelming [sic] showed causation. One plaintiff has deceased since proceedings began and another died before the lawsuit was filed and is not a participant in this lawsuit.
On July 30, 1993, this case again was in local court. It likely will be on the court dockets again by late fall, possibly in a neighboring county.
