OCUA'S OCEANGRO FEATURED ON 'MODERN MARVEL'
ALSO CITED BY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP - To all the naysayers that did not believe it would work, the Ocean County Utilities Authority
has proven them wrong.
And, come this Wednesday even the History Channel will feature on "Modern Marvels" a segment on the production of
the OCUA's award winning fertilizer OCEANGRO.
"In the last several decades the Ocean County Utilities Authority has done an incredible amount of work to improve
the water quality of Barnegat Bay and to improve our overall environment," said Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves
as liaison to the OCUA. "We are very proud of its accomplishments."
Just coming off the heels of receiving the 2007 Exemplary Biosolids Management Award in the public acceptance
category from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region II, the OCUA's organic fertilizer production was then picked
for a segment on "Modern Marvels" which is scheduled to air Wednesday (June 20) on the History Channel.
According to the show's website, Modern Marvels celebrates ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand
scale.
"Highlighting the work we do at the OCUA helps to educate the public and raise awareness of the importance of protecting
the environment," said Richard Warren, OCUA executive director. "From the OCUA commissioners to the staff, everyone works
toward a common goal of taking care of our waterways and our lands."
The EPA award, which now moves on for consideration at the federal level, recognized the OCUA for its exceptional biosolids
management program.
"Innovative and widely applicable biosolids techniques are vital to the nation's efforts to protect and improve our soil
and water resources," stated the EPA "This award centers attention on the critical need to develop and implement management
practices that use wastewater biosolids beneficially."
Since 1997, the OCUA has successfully manufactured the organic fertilizer called OCEANGRO. A decade later, more than 90,000
tons has been produced and beneficially used.
OCEANGRO is non-burning, slow released, runoff resistant and is rich in iron and calcium. It is an economic bulk delivered
alternative for golf courses and athletic fields as a maintenance application. Registered with the New Jersey Department
of Agriculture, it is manufactured to fertilizer specifications from biosolids, which exceeds Environmental Protection
Agency Exceptional Quality Standards. OCEANGRO is used by over 60 golf courses in New Jersey and is available in many
retail locations throughout the state.
"When the OCUA began to develop this product, many did not believe it would work," said Freeholder Director John P. Kelly.
"Now this fertilizer continues to grow in popularity, the result of a unique program that comes with numerous environmental
benefits."
David J. Ertle, director of Fertilizer Manufacturing at the OCUA, noted that the OCUA's biosolids programs was chosen to be
featured on Modern Marvels because the authority's program is the only one in the state that treats its wastewater and
produces and markets fertilizer from its sludge.
"We do it all," Ertle said. "From wastewater treatment to sales and distribution of an exceptional quality Class A
Biosolids Fertilizer, meeting all the fertilizer industry quality standards."
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