A Leelanau County group concerned about sewage being used as fertilizer is holding a meeting on the issue Wednesday evening in Cedar.
The meeting, hosted by the newly formed Leelanau Citizens for Sewage Safety, comes after controversy over septage, or waste from septic tanks, being injected into farm nearby fields.
In 2024, a farm in Centerville Township began land applying septage waste as a fertilizer for crops — an accepted agricultural practice that's regulated by state and county agencies.
According to state records, there are six sites permitted to land apply septage waste in Leelanau County. Local health officials say none of the sites in Leelanau grow crops for human consumption.
Neighboring residents have concerns about soil and water contamination from PFAS, microplastics and pharmaceuticals that can accumulate in septage.
Biosolids, or sewage sludge from industrial wastewater plants, applied to fields as fertilizer has rendered land in southern Michigan and Maine unsuitable for farming due to high levels of PFAS.
But state officials say that isn't a concern with septage.
They say small amounts of contaminants can accumulate in septic systems, but no more than residents would be exposed to from products in their own homes.
Critics point to septic systems and private wells in Cadillac tainted with high levels of PFAS. State officials still aren't sure what caused the contamination.
The meeting tomorrow will touch on local septage spreading and regulation. It’s open to all Leelanau County residents and will be at Centerville Township Hall, 5001 S. French Road, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
