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HomeMy WebLinkAbout95.Item 5 PPP LaPA 4-9-18 - Water CremationJames E. Colston Director of Environmental Services OCSD AB 967: DISPOSAL OF HUMAN REMAINS VIA WATER CREMATION Water Cremation: What is it? •Alternative to flame cremation or burial of human remains •Marketed as a “green,” environmentally-friendly option •Uses strong alkaline solution under high pressure to dissolve body parts into a liquid hydrolysate •Bones unaffected typically crushed & returned to family as “ashes” •Other names for this process: Flameless Cremation, Bio- cremation, Alkaline Hydrolysis Alkaline Hydrolysis of Animals Inspection date: 02/23/2017 Pollutant Concentration Animal Sewage BOD (mg/L)31,000 312 TSS (mg/L)7,340 362 pH 12 7.8 AB 967 (2017) (Gloria, D-San Diego) •Allows hydrolysate from human remains to be disposed of to wastewater systems via permit •CASA amendments on discretionary authority were accepted into the legislation Key Language RegardingHydrolysate Disposal •“Authorization for disposal of hydrolysate using a sewer collection system shall be voluntary and at the discretion of each public agency . . . •Each public agency has the discretion to authorize or to prohibit the discharge of hydrolysate into a sewer collection system for any reason, including for purposes of promoting advanced water recycling systems.” Options for OCSD Under the New Law 1. Prohibit 2. Allow via wastehauler only (Not tributary to GWRS) 3. Allow to sewer via permit GWRS Steering Committee Recommendation •On January 8, 2018, the GWRS Steering Committee voted unanimously to recommend to OCSD to modify its Wastewater Ordinance to prohibit the acceptance of hydrolysate from human remains into the wastewater system. Current Staff Recommendation and Options Staff Recommendation 1.Implement GWRS Steering Committee decision (Requires Ordinance amendment to include Prohibition) Other Options 2.Allow the discharge via wastehauler (Requires Ordinance amendment to recognize new category of waste) 3.No change to current permitting scheme Questions? James E. Colston Director, OCSD Environmental Services Department jcolston@ocsd.com For more information, please visit www.ocsd.com.