Waste Without a Plan

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Janet Harrop explains how interim approvals for untreated sewage are becoming a long term risk

By Mary Loggan

Spreading untreated sewage on farmland is emerging as a growing concern in parts of rural Ontario, raising new questions about soil health, food safety, and the limits of municipal infrastructure.

While some producers may initially assume these materials are a low‑cost nutrient source, closer examination reveals a practice that functions more as the disposal of a difficult waste stream than as nutrient recycling.

Janet Harrop, past president of the Wellington County Federation of Agriculture, says farmland wasn’t intended to be a solution for urban waste.

Why is sewage an issue?

She explains that the material at the centre of current concerns is untreated sewage septage, not municipal biosolids that have undergone regulated treatment.

Untreated septage in this context typically includes raw waste pumped from household septic tanks, holding tanks, and portable toilets, which has not been screened, stabilized, or disinfected.

Harrop, who is certified in nutrient management, stresses that untreated septage is not comparable to manure or properly treated biosolids.

“It is very low in nutrients and very high in water, so it is not a meaningful nutrient product; it is essentially a waste,” she notes.

She explains that, historically, provincial rules allowed the application of untreated septage to agricultural land under approvals issued by the environment ministry, with the expectation that this practice would be phased out over time.

In the early 2000s, the Province signalled an intention to ban land application of untreated septage over a five‑year phase‑out period, largely in response to concerns about pathogens, odour, debris and risks to drinking‑water sources.

“That phase‑out never really happened,” Harrop says.

“What we are seeing instead is untreated sewage still finding its way onto farmland under certificates of approval that were originally intended as an interim solution.”

Technical documents for source‑water protection later acknowledged that the ministry was still only ‘exploring policy options’ toward ending land application of untreated septage, and confirmed that raw septage could continue to be spread on approved sites if a Waste Certificate of Approval under the Environmental Protection Act was in place.

The drivers behind the renewed push to store and spread untreated material on farms are largely infrastructural and economic.

Harrop, who operates a dairy farm in Fergus, explains that companies responsible for emptying septic tanks and portable toilets are either reaching capacity at municipal treatment plants or facing rising disposal costs, particularly in fast‑growing regions.

Where municipal plants lack dedicated receiving facilities for hauled septage, haulers can encounter restricted hours, limits on volume or long hauling distances, all of which add cost and pressure them to seek cheaper disposal options.

“Because of the lack of municipal sewage treatment capacity, they are short on options.

“They are looking for somewhere to store this product before it can be land‑applied, and agricultural land is where they are turning.”

Challenges

For farmers, one immediate challenge is the impact on productivity when untreated sewage is applied under a certificate of approval.

“Once this product goes on a field, there is a period of time when whatever is growing there cannot be harvested for feed or pasture,” Harrop explains.

“Waiting periods and restrictions vary with soil type and land use, but the effect is the same.

“You are effectively taking that land out of production for a period of time.”

Those waiting periods are intended to reduce the risk that people or animals will be exposed to pathogens that may remain in the material.

For forage, pasture and direct‑grazing systems, this can disrupt grazing plans, tighten feed supplies and complicate rotations, particularly where the affected field is a key part of a livestock operation’s annual feed budget.

The longer‑term concern is what repeated applications may mean for soil quality.

Reviews of sewage sludge and septage land application have documented that pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, can persist in soil and may be transported through runoff, dust, or leaching, especially when material has not been stabilized or adequately treated.

“Even with testing requirements in the approval process, there is a soil quality risk with repeated applications,” warns Harrop.

“Soil health is fundamental for us. The intent of that soil is to grow food — not to be a dumping ground for waste that offers very little nutrient value.

“Manure has nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that, managed properly, improve soil health.

“Untreated sewage septage is different. It is not an organic amendment in that sense; it is a waste product that happens to be spread on soil.”

There is also a reputational and ethical dimension to the issue.

Harrop notes that agricultural land is sometimes viewed by non‑farm interests as open green space where urban systems can offload problems.

“People see farmland as a convenient place to get rid of waste.

“But this is the land that grows our food. We have to respect that and keep the soil healthy.”

She says when farmers agree to host storage tanks or accept spreading, they may be responding to financial pressures and assurances about approvals, yet they also assume responsibility for any long‑term consequences on their fields.

In one high‑profile case near London in 2023, neighbours opposed one hauler’s plan to spread untreated sewage from septic and portable toilets on a farm field. Opponents feared odour, groundwater concerns and proximity to homes.

The case highlighted how certificates for land application and storage approved under earlier regulations can conflict with current expectations regarding environmental protection.

Looking ahead

Harrop emphasizes that many producers encounter this issue only when approached by a company proposing to construct a storage tank or apply material on their land.

“If a farmer is approached, the first step is education,” she says.

“They need to really understand what this product is, what the risks are and what it means for their land and their business.

“Any apparent financial benefit, such as tipping fees, must be weighed against land‑use restrictions, soil‑health concerns and potential public perception issues.”

At the same time, she is careful not to place blame solely on the contractors who haul and manage septage.

“These companies are running businesses. They are running out of options for where to take this product.”

Without adequate municipal and regional treatment capacity, they are left to look for alternatives.

Policy guidance over the past two decades has encouraged a shift away from land application of raw septage toward directing hauled waste to municipal treatment plants or dedicated processing systems, such as septage‑receiving facilities, composting operations, or anaerobic digesters.

These alternatives can be capital‑intensive, however, which has slowed investment and left some regions relying on interim land‑spreading approvals well beyond the originally envisioned phase‑out period.

“It is not that the companies themselves are the problem. The root problem is the lack of appropriate options available to them.”

Harrop would like to see a more coordinated policy response as the province continues to grow.

“This is an emerging issue, and as municipalities expand and wastewater plants struggle to keep up, we are likely to see more of it.”

In Wellington County, a small number of cases have already surfaced, and she expects other high‑growth rural-urban fringe areas to face similar pressures.

“Recognition at the provincial and federal level is important so that cost‑share and grant funding are available for municipalities to expand wastewater treatment infrastructure.

“This is a broader infrastructure issue, not just a local one.”

For now, Harrop encourages farmers who are approached about hosting tanks or accepting untreated sewage to contact their local and provincial farm organizations.

“This came to us as something new; many producers are not aware it is even happening.”

She says county federations and organizations such as the OFA can connect farmers with field staff and technical resources and can raise emerging concerns in policy discussions.

Producers can also request a review of any attached Certificate of Approval, verify whether their farm falls within mapped vulnerable water‑supply areas, and seek advice from nutrient management specialists or engineers familiar with wastewater regulations.

“As the issue grows, so must education and advocacy to ensure that untreated sewage is handled where it belongs — in regulated municipal facilities — and not on the fields that grow our food.” BF