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In yet another related act New York State has declared a mora- 

 torium on the application of sludge or sludge derived compost on 

 agricultural lands in the state. The NYS Department of Agricul- 

 ture and Markets is seeking to prevent application on Class 1 

 and Class 2 lands. One criterion that determines Class 1 and 

 Class 2 lands is land slope. These two classes have slopes up 

 to eight percent. Application of sludge on lands with slopes 

 greater than eight percent is prohibited by State Regulations. 



Furthermore, to develop a system of sludge disposal which is 

 based upon the acceptance of the sludge by communities which do 

 not produce it, is risky at best. It is our understanding that 

 -the City of Philadelphia is currently experiencing great public 

 opposition in western Pennsylvania. 



Finally, in 1978, as part of the Facility Plan for the develop- 

 "ment of land based alternative sludge disposal methods, a 

 marketing survey was conducted to determine the potential for 

 marketing sludge derived compost in this area. It was deter- 

 mined that no such market existed and further enforced the dedi- 

 cated land application principle. It is very unlikely that the 

 results of a similar survey conducted today would be any 

 different. 



The City is currently purchasing top soil for cover material at 

 the landfills. In Fiscal 1983, the City purchased 900,000 cu.- 

 yds. at prices ranging from $1.64 to $3.78 per yard. 



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