Where to put tons of sludge?

County officials think they have found the ideal spot in Largo for 930,000 cubic yards of sediment. Nearby residents, however, are not convinced.

By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 30, 2000

The idea makes Jack Meyer cringe: truckloads of sludge being carted off from Lake Seminole to a landfill owned by the city of Largo that is only about two football fields away from his mobile home.

Meyer, who lives at 1071 Donegan Road in Lincolnshire Estates in Largo, can already imagine the putrid smell.

He can also envision the horrific traffic the brigade of trucks driving along Donegan will create.

"It's going to make a mess on our road," said Meyer, a 10-year resident who is a member of the park's homeowners board. "I don't like the idea of a lot of sludge near our mobile home park."

Pinellas County officials say they have few options. The lake is full of harmful chemicals and needs to be cleaned. They say the landfill is the best site to temporarily move the sludge, and if they can't put it on the grass-covered area, the dredging process may take twice or three times as long to complete. Once the sludge is moved, it may not smell bad at all, officials said.

On Tuesday, a firm hired by the county to study ways to clean the lake will explain to Largo commissioners why the lake needs to be dredged and why the sludge needs to be put on the landfill.

"There's no reason that the residents of Largo should deal with that kind of discomfort," Commissioner Pat Burke, who lives in a subdivision near the landfill, said of her concerns of heavy traffic and foul odors.

David Talhouk, a county engineer overseeing the lake restoration, knows it will be a tough sell.

"The local residents would not want to see this happen," said Talhouk, who will be at Largo City Hall on Tuesday to answer questions.

Lake Seminole and the park alongside its eastern edge have long been a popular destination for many Pinellas County residents. A 2-mile recreation trail, two ponds and a large play area make it an ideal place for family gatherings. Largo City Manager Steven Stanton said he frequently goes in-line skating there and picnics with his family in the park.

"It's a gorgeous park," he said.

The park also has a boat ramp for boating, fishing and waterskiing.

But problems have surfaced.

For years, those who fish in Lake Seminole have complained that there aren't as many fish to catch anymore. Longtime park users noticed the lake was turning green.

In 1992, a study was done. Fifty years of lawn fertilizer chemicals, oils and grease from vehicles and airborne nitrogen had built up in the lake, and the water quality was below normal. Nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertilizers altered the lake's ecological balance, killing bass and other fish that were once plentiful. Plants surrounding the lake were dying as cattails crowded out more desirable vegetation.

County officials began a long-term study of the lake. A consultant found 930,000 cubic yards of sediment, enough to fill nearly 20,000 semitrailers, at the bottom of the 684-acre lake. A partnership between the county, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the cities of Largo and Seminole was forged to work on ways to clean up the lake. A Tampa consulting firm -- Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan -- was hired to figure out what would be the best way to improve water quality.

In November 1998, county officials began to discuss plans with Largo. The sludge would be pumped through a pipeline underneath the Seminole Canal to a city-owned landfill near Lincolnshire, which is a short distance from Largo Middle School, the city's library and the Largo Cultural Center.

Largo's landfill is the perfect site, the county believes. It is close to the canal and it has enough space to allow the sludge to dry out. The material would be carted off by dump trucks to a county-owned landfill in St. Petersburg.

The dredging process would take about two years if it was done at the Largo site, Talhouk said. There is a smaller, county-owned landfill a few miles south of Largo's landfill that could be used. But Talhouk said because it is smaller and not as close to the canal, the project could take two to three times as long to complete.

The entire project would cost $11.1-million.

The idea did not go over well with Largo city officials and residents who live near the landfill. City commissioners were deluged with telephone calls and letters from outraged residents. Some signed petitions.

In March 1999, city commissioners voted against allowing the county to dump the materials on the landfill. The site is currently used to store construction materials. Bay Area Renaissance Festival organizers have eyed the landfill as a potential parking lot. The festival attracts thousands each year, and parking is a major headache for patrons.

City officials also have suggested the landfill, with its many hills, could be used as a mountain bike riding area.

Hoping to sweeten the proposal to Largo commissioners, county officials have offered to help convert the land into a recreational site. The sludge contains just the sort of stuff that homeowners used to fertilize their front lawns and was washed during storms into the lake. Those elements, Talhouk believes, would be perfect to use to build park land. A nature trail, perhaps. Little League baseball fields, maybe.

"We can turn this site into a park facility and this would be an opportunity for us to take care of it," he said.

Some Largo officials seemed receptive to the idea.

"If there is a partnership and they can help us to clean it up, it's the best of both worlds," said Commissioner Pat Gerard.

"Then, the city would have a space that people could use, not just Largo folks, for park space," Stanton said.

Still, Stanton and city commissioners have many questions.

The city manager is particularly concerned about environmental hazards the sludge could pose for Largo's treatment plants. Commissioner Jean Halvorsen has similar concerns. Commissioner Marty Shelby wants to know if the sludge will stink. Commissioner Harriet Crozier is also worried about the stench.

"From what I've heard, I'm not real keen on it," said Crozier. "It's not like taking it to open land that's away from people."

The county-hired consulting firm has an expert looking into whether the sludge will smell. If so, the county will look into ways to make it as bearable as possible. As for traffic, Talhouk said it should not be a major concern. Residents should not expect dump trucks driving in and out of downtown Largo at all hours of the day and night, Talhouk says.

Largo officials realize the lake needs to be cleaned. Besides being bad for fishing, the green color makes it difficult to see far into the water.

"The lake will continue to degrade and continue to be polluted and at some point, the recreational use of that lake will be undesirable," Talhouk.

On Aug. 8, Talhouk and the consulting firm will make a presentation before Seminole city officials. If Largo approves the plans, Talhouk said that by early next year, county officials will begin design plans and seek state permits for the project.

County officials have been working on the plan for eight years. Using a baseball analogy, Talhouk said those who have worked on the project feel like they are in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Largo's support is the last key hurdle.

Batter up.

- Times researcher Caryn Baird and information from Times files contributed to this report.

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