DEC is seeking a consultant to perform a comprehensive evaluation of sludge management in Vermont and to make recommendations for strategies to best manage this material under various scenarios. Proposals must include the following task items: • Economic evaluation of current and projected POTW sludge management costs, including sludge processing versus disposal • Evaluation of landfill capacity in the region (broad) • Evaluation of sludge processing/biosolids management outlets in the region (broad), including costs • Evaluation of PFAS levels in Vermont Class B and EQ biosolids, including trends, using current data maintained by VT DEC • Identification of VT POTW sludge handling/ treatment components, age, condition, odors, etc. • Opportunities for sludge processing upgrades for VT POTWs, e.g., dryer technology, etc., and potential to accept sludge from other POTWs in their region (multi-municipal agreements) • Review of and comparison with other sludge reports done by states • Environmental Justice concerns • Geographic modeling of sludge management scenarios • Assess climate change impacts based on various management options including carbon impacts of hauling in any potential solutions, such as hauling to regional centers • Recommendations that influence/offset the cost to manage sludge that could include side stream resource recovery, pollution prevention efforts, industrial pretreatment, etc.
