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Environmental Management System for Biosolids
In July 2004, King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) became a certified program in the National Biosolids Partnership's (NBP) Environmental Management System (EMS) for biosolids. King County was the third wastewater agency in the nation to earn this certification. In August 2007, King County was awarded "Platinum Level" status from the NBP, recognizing completion of an interim audit to maintain certification. “King County will produce, use and market biosolids products in ways that are publicly What is the biosolids EMS? The biosolids EMS is a program developed by the NBP to optimize management of biosolids and improve biosolids management programs nationwide. The EMS program provides a way for wastewater utilities to enhance environmental stewardship and meet the needs of our communities. More information on the national program, including EMS guidance manuals and auditor guidance documents can be found on the NBP EMS Web site (external link). A key element of the EMS is to have clear guiding principles for managing biosolids. Our biosolids policies are part of King County's Regional Wastewater Services Plan, which was adopted by the King County Council. As part of the EMS process, the Wastewater Treatment Division has also committed to the national Code of Good Practice.
Why create an EMS for biosolids? An EMS is a tool to achieve our goals and objectives by:
Outcomes Matter! The purpose of the EMS is to improve the quality of biosolids and challenge us to continually improve the methods we use to make and use biosolids. The verification process determines (1) whether we are complying with the requirements of the EMS and (2) whether our EMS is functioning as intended. Independent auditors review our system for producing and recycling biosolids and they evaluate our accomplishments - or "outcomes." Is the EMS making a difference in the county's production or handling of biosolids? Have we set goals for improving our performance? Are we achieving these goals? What improvements have been made? Are we meeting legal requirements? Are we communicating with the public about our biosolids program? Are we commited to environmentally sound management practices? The third-party verification process examines our results in four areas:
"Verification is not the end, but rather the beginning EMS Documents NBP Audit Report (200K pdf) More information on the audit process is in the Auditor's Guidance Manual (pdf, external link) Schedule for the biosolids EMS:
For more information on the EMS, please contact Lisa Vogel at lisa.vogel@metrokc.gov or (206) 263-3428. For questions about biosolids recycling or this website, please contact us at: biosrecy@kingcounty.gov Resource Recovery Updated: May 8, 2008 |
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