A proposal for a facility that converts septic waste to compost will have to find another home, after a decision in Linn County, Iowa.
Mitchell Schmidt reports from an unincorporated area in Linn County near Cedar Rapids: "An inventive approach to converting sewage into compost was halted Monday night by passionate neighbors who said they didn’t want the project — and its potential associated odors and detriments to water quality and property values — in their backyards."
At a packed meeting, the Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission denied a conditional use permit requested by Miene Septic. The company would have used 40 acres to convert septic waste to compost. The site is zoned for agricultural use, which allows for a sewage treatment plant under the county's zoning code. Opposition was organized by a group called Not In Our Backyard.
FULL STORY: Public fervor spells end to Linn County sewage compost idea
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