The Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) serves the region with a drive to fulfill its promise – to treat wastewater and recover natural resources to protect public health and the environment. HRSD’s vision is to ensure that the communities they serve will have clean waterways and reliable water resources for generations.
To further this mission, HRSD operates the Progress Farm, a two-hundred-acre site comprised of cropland, forest, and wetlands designed for research. It has served as a research and innovation hub for the biosolids industry for the last 40 years. The site offers vital opportunities for national and state soil research on a variety of subjects, and now as a research site for U.S. EPA-funded PFAS research. This fall, HRSD hopes to have preliminary research completed on PFAS mitigation strategies.
Jamie Heisig-Mitchell, Chief of Water Quality at HRSD, has a unique perspective on issues facing the biosolids industry. Mitchell explains, “while others see PFAS and other current issues as an uphill climb, my colleagues and I look at issues like PFAS as an opportunity for innovation and growth in the industry. We are challenged to think outside the box and create novel solutions.”
For more than 30 years, biosolids have been applied to more than 1,500 acres of land in the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. As HRSD looks to the future, leadership is incorporating new measures to foster research and progress. This gives HRSD the ability to pivot towards new innovations as they occur and as new technology comes online. HRSD continues to grow as technology within the biosolids community also expands. Heisig-Mitchell is excited to see how HRSD can further diversify the use of its Class A NutriGreen® product, with opportunities to use in blended materials, composting, and even curing the material to create a drier, soil-like product for sales to nurseries and landscapers. There are many ways that biosolids can be used to advance HRSD’s mission of creating products for their community, not waste.
This circular mindset is crucial for recycling and the beneficial use of biosolids. Returning biosolids to communities through land application benefits farmers, businesses, local communities, and the environment.
As a member of the Virginia Biosolids Council, HRSD adheres to the VBC’s Code of Good Practice, which emphasizes best practices, exceeding regulations, and fostering positive relations with the communities it serves. HRSD continues to be a leader in biosolids research and technology, providing real benefits to society.