Marques v. Bunch

18 Pa. D. & C.3d 371, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Bucks County
DecidedOctober 23, 1980
Docketno. 79-4305-05-5
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Pa. D. & C.3d 371 (Marques v. Bunch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Bucks County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marques v. Bunch, 18 Pa. D. & C.3d 371, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1980).

Opinion

GARB, J.,

This is an action in equity instituted by plaintiff against defendant, a neighboring property owner, seeking to enjoin the dumping of sewage sludge upon defendant’s property. The Townships of Bedminster and Plumstead by their respective solicitors have intervened as parties plaintiff. It is alleged that defendant for a number of years has been hauling sewage sludge from the sewage treatment plants of Warminster Township, Bucks County and Abington Township, Montgomery County and dumping same upon his property. Defendant operates a sod farm upon his property and utilizes the sludge as a fertilizing agent. It is alleged that the dumping operation and the manner in which it is done has polluted the air by emitting noxious odors which permeate well beyond defendant’s property lines as well as polluting the surface streams and ground water. After hearing, a temporary restraining order was entered en[372]*372joining all farther dumping upon defendant’s property and subsequently a full hearing was held on the merits of the bill in equity. It was agreed that the hearing held pursuant to the application for a temporary restraining order be incorporated by reference into the hearing on the bill in equity. As a result of those hearings we hearby make the following

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff, Anthony Marques, is an individual residing at R.R. #1, Applebutter Road, Bedminster Township, Pa.

2. Intervening plaintiff, Bedminster Township Board of Supervisors, is the duly constituted governing body of the Township of Bedminster, a second class township with offices located at the Bed-minster Township Municipal Building, Bedminster Road, Bedminster, Bucks County.

3. Intervening plaintiff, Plumstead Township Board of Supervisors, is the duly constituted governing body of the Township of Plumstead, a second class township with offices located at the Plumstead Township Municipal Building, Stump Road, Plums te ad ville, Bucks County, Pa.

4. Defendant Dewey H. Bunch, Jr. is an individual who trades as Shan-Gri-La Sod Farm. Bunch resides at Haring and Applebutter Roads, Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania, and operates a sod farm and sludge dumping operation on his property.

5. Shan-Gri-La Sod Farm is located in Plumstead Township diagonally across Applebutter Road from the Marques property.

6. On or about December 22, 1976 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources [373]*373(DER) issued a water quality management permit, no. 0976434 to Shan-Gri-La Sod Farm; this permit allowed Bunch to use sewage sludge from Abington and Warminster Townships on his sod farm.

7. The water quality permit was issued pursuant to the Clean Streams Law of June 22, 1937, RL. 1987, as amended, 35P.S. §691.1 et seq., and/or the Water Obstruction Act of June 25, 1913, P.L. 555, as amended, 32 P.S. §681 et seq., and provided thát “issuance of this permit shall not relieve the permittee of any responsibility under any other law.”

8. The water quality permit provides that, inter alia, “failure to comply with the rules and regulations of the Department or the terms or conditions of this permit shall void the authority given to the permittee by the issuance of the permit.”

9. The water quality permit requires the permit-tee to keep records of operation and to submit to DER monthly reports if requested; Bunch kept no records of the operation and submitted no reports to DER.

10. The water quality permit requires that sludge be so handled that no nuisance is created.

11. The DER regulations applicable to the site were promulgated in June, 1977 pursuant to the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 788, as amended, 35 P.S. §6001 et seq. [see now, 35 P.S. §6018.101 et seq.].

12. These regulations provide that, inter aha:

a. any sludge applied to the soil be turned under or incorporated into the soil within 24 hours of application;

b. sewage sludge may not be applied when the ground is saturated, covered with snow or frozen or during periods of rain;

c. application of sludge is prohibited within 100 [374]*374feet of streams and intermittent waterways, 300 feet of water supplies, 50 feet of property lines, and 300 feet of occupied dwellings; and

d. application of sludge in such quantities as to allow run-off to occur or to cause spreading, vector or odor problems is prohibited.

13. Bunch has contracts to haul sludge from Abington Township and Warminster Township for a 20 year period commencing September 1, 1977.

14. Bunch’s contracts with Warminster and Abington Townships permit him to terminate his agreement if he is unable to use the farm for disposal without any fault on his part.

15. Soils on the Shan-Gri-La Sod Farm are generally poorly drained and the seasonally high water table is at the surface.

16. The majority of soils occupying the Shan-Gri-La Sod Farm, including all soils along the perimeter of Applebutter Road, do not satisfy DER’s minimum requirements for a land application of sewage sludge and are not adequate for sludge disposal.

17. Contrary to the requirements of his permit, Bunch has not kept any records of the amount of sludge he has applied to his property.

18. Contrary to DER regulations, Bunch has applied sludge within 300 feet of water supplies, within 50 feet of property lines and within 300 feet of occupied dwellings.

19. Bunch has applied between 35 and 40 dry tons of sludge per acre per year to his farm in such a manner that two or three years’ worth of sludge, or between 70 to 120 dry tons per acre were applied in any given year to each of five 10 acre parcels on a rotational basis.

20. These loading rates were excessive.

[375]*37521. To avoid the possibility of nitrite-nitrate contamination to the groundwater, sludge application rates should not exceed the nitrogen uptake requirement for the crop being raised; in the case of sod, the maximum application rate would be 8.62 dry tons per acre per year if the soils were well drained and suitable for sludge disposal.

22. Bunch’s method of operation was to dump numerous piles of sludge in long rows over a long period of time, and to allow the sludge to remain there until he spread it and turned it under.

23. Bunch’s method of “storage” was contrary to DER regulations.

24. Bunch’s practice of sludge stockpiling in the field created excessive run-off and an obnoxious odor.

25. DER has been unable to monitor this and other permitted sites regularly because of shortage in its staff.

26. As of April 9, 1980 Bunch was in violation of DER regulations concerning run-off and storage.

27. The sod farm is a source of objectionable odor to surrounding areas.

28. The detectability of the odor from the farm increases down wind and in warm weather.

29. Even after the sludge is turned under, clumps of sludge are exposed to the air and therefore continue to cause odors.

30. Plumstead Township Ordinance Section 913(4) provides that there shall be no emission of odor in such quantities as to be offensive at any point on or beyond the lot boundary line.

31.

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Bluebook (online)
18 Pa. D. & C.3d 371, 1980 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marques-v-bunch-pactcomplbucks-1980.