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.