By Sheila Harris sheilaharrisads@gmail.com

Public comments on proposed permits for the land-application of sludge to over 8,400 acres of land in Barry County are due to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by 5 p.m., Monday, March 18.

Although legal descriptions for land-application sites are listed on the proposed permits, no mention is made of the facilities from which the sludge originates, nor was a requirement for third-party testing of sludge materials mentioned.

When asked, Heather Peters, with the Water Protection Program of the DNR, said the concerns are examples of comments that could be submitted to the DNR.

Comments may be submitted by email to  publicnoticenpdes@dnr.mo.gov.

Please include the public notice numbers in the subject line and body of the email.

For Synagro: MO0141244

The entire draft permit can be found in the link at https://dnr.mo.gov/calendar/event/251416.

For HydroAg: MO0140490

The entire draft permit can be found in the link at https://dnr.mo.gov/calendar/event/251426.