Maureen Reilly believed the whole "back-to-nature" and "country-pure" story about rural living, so she bought a "get-away-from-it-all" country property and began plans to operate a pastoral bed and breakfast. Reilly was determine to enjoy her escape from stressful urban living, but, just as many dreams of idyllic country life are extinguished by harsh realities, hers were undermined by sludge.

"I had been working at Queen's Park, at the Premier's Office, and I bought a farmhouse about 2 hours north of Toronto -- with dairy cattle on the fields around the house," said Reilly. "One day, I was braiding garlic on the porch -- you can't get more country than that -- when a guy walked up and said 5,000 tonnes of paper mills sludge were going to be dressed on my neighbour's land. I found out this was the first farm in Victoria County to get this treatment."

Instead of enjoying peaceful, laid-back country days, Reilly found herself immersed in a fight for the environmental integrity of her land, a struggle that exposed her to threats and intimidation.

"I was pretty anxious as everything I heard was worse and worse -- terrible things," said Reilly explaining that the more she learned about the environmental impact of spreading industrial and sewage sludge on farmland, and the way the sludge industry operated, the more fearful she became for her safety and that of the environment. "I had my back to the wall as my house was my only asset. I found a brilliant young lawyer, Richard King, who offered to help pro bono."

Reilly and her lawyer eventually stopped sludge being dumped on farmland around her house. They proved that, even with a permit, following provincial regulations, the watertable was too high and the soil type inappropriate for the safe application of sludge in the area. Members of the public and property owners who try to stop similar sludge treatment face problems that arise from "the regulator being captured by an industry," according to Reilly.

"It is an octopus of a thing -- horror ends on horror and becomes too big a story to cover," said Reilly. "In an effort to divert waste from land fill, farmland is used for dumping. A lot of people are moving out of the city and finding the hinterland has turned into an industrial wasteland."

Years of battling for her property rights and to preserve the environment, transformed Reilly into an internationally-respected environmental researcher with an acknowledged specialty in wastewater and sludge. One project fostered by her preoccupation with sludge is Sludge Watch. The open, moderated list serv was created by the Sludge Watch Working Group of the Ontario Environment Network (OEN), a non-profit, non-governmental network of over 500 environmental groups. Reilly reports those using the list serve to exchange information on sludge and biosolids range from victims of sludge pollution to regulators, environmental companies and sludge companies themselves. (Note: List Serv Manager owner-SludgeWatch-l@list.web.ca.)

Issues surrounding sludge and industrial waste are linked to numerous real estate concerns, including:

• Toxins and human pathogens from industrial waste and municipal sewage or biosolids may be released into the community, the groundwater and the food chain presenting health and safety risks.

• Difficult to sell property or marginal farmland may be bought with the intention of using the land as a dump site for waste, including paper-mill waste, potentially causing contamination problems for abutting land as well.

• Real estate values can decrease on adjacent properties. Reilly related the plight of one family who discovered the farm behind them was essentially a "mountain of decomposing paper-mill waste." The family moved, but could not sell their subsequently-devalued real estate because of its proximity to the waste.

• If a real estate professional is aware of contamination, buyers would be informed, but what if the listing process does not uncover the problem? Reilly says her group sends registered letters to real estate brokers to advise them of contamination on real estate they are involved with. Investigating environmental permits for the neighbouring area may reveal paper or sludge waste dumping, but who do you ask to find out where all the sludge is buried? Environmental assessments may become standard due diligence in the purchase of rural or recreational land.

Reilly explains another short-coming that could lead to more environmental degradation. She says the Ministry of the Environment has turned a "blind eye" to paper-mill waste and sewage which is "recycled" into a product labeled "fertilizer" after being dried, reworked or made into sludge pellets. If a waste hauler claims this material to be dumped is federally-approved fertilizer, then a provincial permit is not necessary. If the offending waste product is given away as fertilizer or a land owner is paid to take it, the sludge product is not under federal jurisdiction as there is no sale, and is not under provincial jurisdiction because it's a federally-approved fertilizer.

"Regulators are happy to say that 'it is not on my desk' and it falls between two desks and the community is outraged," says Reilly. "The [sludge] material is targeted into a loop hole between the two governments."

An escape from urban living requires thorough investigation or it may be out of the frying pan and into ... the sludge.

Published: March 6, 2007

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Strategist and Futurist is The Catalyst -- intent on "Helping The Best Get Better." An internationally-recognized "new retirement" authority, PJ's research, writing and speaking programs focus on decisions Baby Boomers face to achieve a successful future. Author of 6 books, PJ knows that, since home is headquarters for the "new retirement," professionals and consumers need relevant knowledge and insights, along with solid decision-making skills, to protect and enhance this private oasis. As The Catalyst, PJ provides strategic communication, client appreciation and advanced education services to the financial, tourism, lifestyle and service sectors -- and the clients they serve. A frequently quoted financial and business commentator, PJ is a thought-provoking strategic speaker who offers practical, real-life suggestions on leaving "the box" behind and embracing Forward Thinking -- a talent she regularly demonstrates in this column. For more, visit TheCatalyst.com.