Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Business meeting: 1. Lakhwinder Hundal (Current Chair) welcomed the attendees and this was followed by introductions. 2. Update from Project Director – Jeff Steiner – Jeff emphasized on demonstrating the impact of research conducted by the committee members. He also gave information regarding reporting requirements. The group progress report should be for the entire committee and should clearly show what was accomplished, what is its impact, and what was done to educate the stakeholders (public outreach and education components) and disseminate information. 3. Bob Bastian (USEPA) mentioned that Ben Davis, Chair of the Sustainable Residuals Use Subcommittee of WEF requested that Lakhwinder Hundal work with W-3170 group to prepare a fact sheet on fate of trace organics (TOrCs) in land applied biosolids, other residuals and wastewater. There were some support for this. Some raised questions about why we need this considering what is already out there. 4. Greg Kestner (CASA) pointed out that identifying data gaps and needs would be useful for wastewater treatment facilities. 5. Future Meetings: The group has agreed to have next W-3170 Annual meeting (2016) in Columbus, OH; and 2017 annual Meeting in Arizona. 6. Business meeting was wrapped up at 9:10 AM. Technical Meeting: Selected members presented state reports. Trace organics in residuals and wastewater 1. Linda Lee: Snapshot of selected trace organic research in biosolids-based fertilizers in soils Trace Elements and pathogens 2. Lakhwinder Hundal: Trace metal uptake by vegetables grown in exceptional quality biosolids 3. Nick Basta: Lead contamination in urban soils and bio-accessibility 4. Samantha Ying: Biogeochemical driving arsenic release from soil/sediments 5. Ian Pepper: Microbial pathogen studies at the new university of AZ water and sustainable technology center (WEST) Land application of biosolids 6. Geno Picchioni/Leonard Lauriault: Challenges with reclaimed water and desalination residuals for potential beneficial use in New Mexico. 7. Kevin Bamber: Biosolids source and application timing for wheat in the mid-Atlantic region 8. Tom Halbach: Processing of waste residuals for beneficial use 9. Sally Brown: Bioretention systems to manage stormwater 10. Ganga Hettiarachchi- Mechanisms of trace element retention in a constructed wetland treatment system designed for FGD wastewater

Objective 1: Evaluate the short- and long-term chemistry and bioavailability of nutrients, potentially toxic inorganic trace elements, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (TOrCs) in residuals, reclaimed water, and amended soils in order to assess the environmental and health risk-based effects of their application at a watershed scale. Specific tasks: (i) To develop and evaluate in vitro (including chemical speciation) and novel in vivo methods to correlate human and ecological health responses with risk-based bioavailability of trace elements and TOrCs in residuals and residual-treated soils. (ii) Predict the long-term bioavailability and toxicity of trace elements and TOrCs in residual-amended urban, agricultural and contaminated soils. (iii) Evaluate long-term effects of residuals application and reclaimed wastewater irrigation on fate and transport of nutrients, trace elements, TOrCs, and emergence/spread of antibiotic resistance in high application rate systems. (iv) Evaluate plant uptake and ecological effects of potentially toxic trace elements and TOrCs from soils amended with residuals and reclaimed wastewater. Accomplishments Arizona Pepper and his group at the University of Arizona developed a new method for converting Class B biosolids to Class A. This new treatment involved the use of a soil fumigant used for human root crops, namely sodium metam. This compound was shown to kill both human viruses such as poliovirus, and helminths such as Ascaris. Laboratory and field evaluation of the methodology showed that the use of sodium metam resulted in a 4.7 log reduction of fecal coliforms; a 2.6 log reduction of Ascaris and a 4.0 log reduction of poliovirus. These data resulted in the methodology being approved by the EPA Pathogen Equivalency Committee as a “Process to Further Reduce Pathogens” (PFRP). The group also monitored viruses in raw influent and final treated effluent using qPCR for a year at four wastewater treatment plants with secondary treatment consisting of: trickling filter; activated sludge or a 5 stage Bardenpho process. Monitoring data provided an indication of relative abundance (incidence); seasonal variation; and the extent of removal during wastewater treatment. Based on these criteria, the pepper mild mottle virus appeared to be best candidate for use as a model viral indicator of sewage pollution. In addition, the Bardenpho process was shown to be more efficient than the trickling filter or activated sludge process for virus removal. They used viral surrogates to evaluate fate of ebola during flushing toilets. The Corona virus was utilized based on the following criteria: same viral order as Ebola; nucleic acid type; and lipid content. Murine norovirus was also utilized as a “worse case” for virus survival. Medical waste containing the virus was flushed down the toilet with and without disinfection. Data showed that flushing medical waste containing the virus can result in extensive contamination due to aerosols. However flushing with half a cup of bleach was shown to eliminate the contamination of the restroom and the toilet. Currently further work is being conducted to evaluate disinfectant procedures including type of bleach, contact, time and amount of waste. Future work will evaluate survival during wastewater treatment simulated in miniature anaerobic digesters. Pepper and co-workers is also evaluating efficacy of real-time on-line sensors for their use as process control of advanced treatment of reclaimed water prior to subsequent portable reuse. For chemicals, real-time on-line sensors for pharmaceuticals and personal care products were evaluated. For chemicals, UV254 absorbance; total fluorescence; and excitation/emission fluorescence measurements (EEMS) provided the most effective process control. For microbial contaminants, sensors utilized were based on: laser light scattering; fluorescence from NADP and riboflavin; and light emission via the ATP luciferin/luciferase system. Of these monitoring via ATP production showed the most potential for process control of microbial contaminants. Hawaii Hue and his team evaluated phyto-availability of arsenic (As) in some agricultural soils that have a long history of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) application, a herbicide used extensively between 1913 and 1945, mostly in sugarcane fields. Food crops grown in soils high in arsenic may pose a risk to human health when consumed repeatedly. When soils are flooded, as in certain types of cultivation, As becomes more available due to reducing conditions and microbial activity. In Hawaii, crops such as taro and watercress are grown in flooded soils. A greenhouse experiment was implemented to measure the amount of arsenic accumulated in watercress (Nasturtium officinale) grown to harvestable size. Watercress was grown in containers with no drainage, holding 100 grams of high-As soil flooded with 1 liter of water plus Hoagland’s nutrient solution (1/4 strength). Glucose or ascorbic acid at 100 mg/L was used to decrease redox potential. Plants were grown for 4 weeks, thereafter shoots were harvested and analyzed for total As concentration. The experiment was repeated once with the same soils. Ascorbic acid and glucose treatments did not significantly affect plant As uptake. Watercress grown in an Ultisol (Leilehua series) with 315 mg/kg total As (added 2 years before) contained an average of 10 mg/kg As in shoots and leaves on a dry weight basis. Watercress grown in a high amorphous iron oxides Andisol (Olaa series) with 315 mg/kg total As (applied several decades ago) contained an average of 1.16 mg/kg As in shoots and leaves. It appeared that different soils have different As phytoavailability at the same total As concentration; and reducing conditions may affect different forms of As in different ways. Indiana Lee and her team from Purdue focused on extraction and LC/MS/TOF analyses of 33 trace organic contaminants (TOrCs) in commercially available biosolids-based amendments/fertilizers (including class A cake, heat-dried commercial biosolids, and composted commercial biosolids) and 9 non-biosolids-based fertilizers (for comparative purposes). Included in the biosolids-based materials was the sludge standard NIST-2781, which included data for several, but not all, of the targeted TOrCs. TOrCs targeted in this study included synthetic musks and fragrances (SMFs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and a suite of additional emerging contaminants (e.g., subset of pharmaceuticals and compounds from personal care products. The materials investigated included 4 heat- treated biosolids-based, 1 chemically heat treated biosolids-based, 5 composted biosolids-based, 1 biosolids-based cake, and 9 non-biosolids-based amendments/fertilizers. Results showed that the TOrCs concentrations in the NIST-2781 material were similar to those reported for the standard material. The two antimicrobial compounds, triclosan and triclocarbon, which are typically present in many personal care products from toothpastes to soaps, were found at 285-19,987 ?g/kg and 190-17,785 ?g/kg, respectively, with the concentrations greater in the heat-treated biosolids and cake sample. For bisphenol A (BPA) and BPA alternatives BPS, PBAF, and TBBPA we found 468-68,168 ?g/kg, 38-4797 ?g/kg, 5-84 ?g/kg, and 332 ?g/kg, respectively, which included one non-biosolids food waste compost. With phase out of BPA, we can expect BPS and BPAF concentrations to increase in wastewater influent and resulting biosolids. In soil biodegradation studies, BPS was shown to degrade rapidly with half-life less than one day (t1/2 ? 1 d), thus it is unlikely to persist once land-applied; however, BPAF is expected to persist for quite some time (t1/2 ~4.5 -6 weeks), but is also highly sorbed. The pharmaceuticals analyzed were 210-2891 ?g/kg cimetidine, 6-843 ?g/kg ciprofloxacin, 52-2,326 ?g/kg diphenhydramine, 190-456 ?g/kg ibuprofen, and 159-2,258 ?g/kg miconazole with concentrations greater in heat-treated biosolids and cake. Doxycycline, ofloxacin, simvastatin, sulfanilamide, and tetracycline were not detected in any samples. The only estrogen found was estrone (the primary metabolite of estradiol transformation) at 43-850 ?g/kg. Estradiol and ethinyl estradiol were not detected. The UV filters analyzed were 66-961 ?g/kg 2,2’-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone and 8.5-1,153.9 ?g/kg 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone. Seasonal fluctuations are expected given their use in sunscreens, however, they are also used as a UV protectant in food-grade plastics as well and were observed at the highest concentrations in a biosolids-based material from a plant receiving discharge from a food-plastics plant. For the SMFs, they observed only tonalide at 915-21,894 ?g/kg and galaxolide at 1,656-72,827 ?g/kg. Musk ketone and musk xylene were not detected in any samples. Nonylphenol ranged from 3,288 to 44,017 ?g/kg with limited detection in composted biosolids including the one biosolid-based cake. Parabens, which are naturally occurring, were observed in both biosolids and non-biosolid based materials with methyl and ethyl parabens found at 214-3,048 ?g/kg and 7.8-98.9 ?g/kg, respectively. Propyl and benzyl parabens were not detected. PFOA and PFOS were observed at 6.3-69.1 ?g/kg and 2.7-198.2 ?g/kg, respectively, which included non-biosolid food waste compost material. Slurry desorption studies (worse case) for 3 TOrCs from 2 biosolid-based materials were conducted. There was negligible lag time (? 12 h) in release of BPA, triclocarbon and methyl paraben. Release would be much slower in a system more representative of a soil profile. Additional work for other PFASs are currently underway along with aerobic biodegradation studies, additional desorption experiments, and greenhouse plant uptake studies. In addition, pre- and post-compost material is being obtained from MWRDGC to directly assess what is lost in a well-characterized composting process. New Mexico NMSU evaluated oil/gas waste water derived from unconventional (shale oil) formations in the Permian Basin (NM and TX) to examine potentially toxic inorganic and organic contaminants that may impact human health and the environment. Compositional analysis revealed highly-complex mixtures with vast variability, which suggests a potential for environmental impact. Xu et al. (NMSU) continued the research to investigate the adsorption capacities of metals and metalloids by drinking water treatment residuals. Meanwhile, the leaching of organic, inorganic and microorganisms from drinking water treatment residuals were evaluated as adsorbents for water treatment or soil application. Xu et al. (NMSU) continued to develop treatment technologies to remove chemical contaminants from reclaimed water and desalination residuals for potential beneficial use. The organic and inorganic contaminants such as heavy metals, arsenic, and trace organic pollutants in produced water, municipal reclaimed water and treated concentrate were evaluated to assess the environmental and health risk-based effects through irrigation and surface discharge. Objective 2: Evaluate the uses and associated agronomic and environmental benefits for residuals in agricultural and urban systems. Specific tasks: (i) Evaluate the ability of in situ treatment of contaminated soil with residuals to reduce chemical contaminant bioavailability and toxicity. (ii) Determine the climate change impacts of organic residuals end use options (i.e., C sequestration, N2O emissions). (iii) Quantify sustainability impacts such as water quality (reduced N impairment) and quantity benefits (increased plant available water, increased drought tolerance) and soil quality improvements associated with a range of organic residuals end uses. (iv) Explore the potential for waste by-products to be used in urban areas including urban agriculture, stormwater infrastructure, green roofs, and in urban green space. (v) Evaluate ecosystem services of degraded urban soils amended with residuals. (vi) Use tools such as life cycle assessment to understand and compare the impacts of a range of residuals end use/disposal options. Accomplishments Florida Florida researchers have a long history of conducting the real-world experiments needed to validate models of bioavailability and of accurately assessing human and environmental health of residuals-borne contaminants (and nutrients). We will continue these efforts, using standards methods prescribed by regulatory agencies (specifically, USEPA 1998; USEPA 2008 a,b) and expand the efforts to include promising new extractants and techniques for various chemical contaminants. Additionally, in cooperation with soil microbiology colleagues, we will address the issue of antibiotic résistance development in soils amended with various manures, focusing on how soil retention impacts antibiotic bioavailability to microbes. The spread of antibiotic disease résistance is of world-wide concern, and a major avenue for extramural funding that we intend to pursue. Research on nutrient and contaminant bioavailability in residuals (biosolids, animal manures, reclaimed water)-amended Florida soils, while extensive, remains incomplete. New ecological endpoints must be investigated to improve risk assessment to ensure environmental and human health. Research is also necessary to maximize the agronomic benefits (maximizing bioavailability) of reusing residuals while minimizing environmental impacts. We propose continuing a combination of laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies utilized in previous 5-year projects. We will also examine various techniques utilizing new trace organic extractants proposed as surrogates for plants, animals, and humans to allow Florida to remain a leader in this area. Published results of studies determining the extent to which trace organic contaminants in reclaimed water pose a concern for transfer to children playing on recently irrigated turf. Risks associated with dislodgeable residues appear to be extremely small. Developed preliminary data demonstrating that antibiotic (AB) retention by soils can reduce the tendency for antibiotic residues to encourage AB resistance spread. Included the preliminary data in an interdisciplinary, multi-year proposal to pursue the issue further, with the intent of identifying opportunities for waste management, or amendment addition, to reduce concern about resistance spread. Confirmed the practicality and usefulness of land applying residuals from a cellulosic ethanol production facility to soil used to grow the biomass initially. The work is specific to a particular residual generated in FL, but the approach and identification of factors that can be important should be pertinent nationally. Participated in a multidisciplinary team responding to a call for proposals to address critical data for meaningful risk assessment of biosolids-borne trace organics. Hawaii Hue and co-workers from Hawaii assessed the nutrient retention capacities of two biochars when applied in combination with two composts to two highly weathered soils of Hawaii: a high Al Ultisol (Leilehua series) and a high Mn Oxisol (Wahiawa series). Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa cv. Bonsai) was used as the test plant in two greenhouse plantings. The results showed that the interaction between biochar and compost additions was significantly increased the pH, EC, P and K of both soils; improved Ca, Mg and Fe uptake; and increased shoot and total cabbage fresh and dry matter weights. Soil pH was increased over 1 unit on average, and EC (1:1 in water) was increased from 0.35 to 0.47 dS/m and 0.30 to 0.37 dS/m for the Ultisol and Oxisol, respectively; exchangeable Al in the Ultisol was decreased from 2.5 cmolc/kg to virtually zero; Mehlich-3 extractable Mn in the Oxisol decreased from 806 mg to 360 mg/kg. Chinese cabbage growth in the Ultisol amended with the lac tree ( Schleichera oleosa) wood biochar at 2% in combination with 2% vermicompost was almost twice as that of the lime + vermicompost treatment at the same rate. All essential nutrients in the plant tissues with the exception of N and K were sufficient for cabbage, suggesting that increased nutrients and reduced soil acidity by the combined additions of biochar and compost was the main contributing factors to good growth. Kansas Hettiarachchi and her team evaluated the uses and associated agronomic and environmental benefits for residuals in agricultural and urban systems using Lab, greenhouse and field research. Laboratory, greenhouse and field research designed to assess the ability of residuals rich in C, P and Fe (for example non-composted or composted Class A biosolids) to reduce contaminant bioavailability in Brownfields have been continued. Chemical methods were used to evaluate reduction in risk from contaminants to human and ecological receptors. The research indicated that the potential exposure pathway of concern was direct exposure of humans to contaminated soils. The pathway from contaminated soil to plant to human was insignificant. Indiana Lee et al (Purdue) assessed potential reclamation of railroad-impacted agricultural soil by using different amendments/treatments in pot studies with corn. Amendments/treatments soil composite from the impacted area were treated with either a urea amendment (220 lbs N/acre), biosolids amendment (25 tons/ha), biochar (1.5 wt%), or fish aquarium activated carbon (2.3 lbs/1000 ft2). In addition, soil collected at the fringe of the impacted area with addition of urea (220 lbs N/acre) was used and considered a ‘control’. In the latter, no emergence of weeds or corn was observed suggesting that the area of negatively impacted soil was increasing. There was also no emergence of weeds or corn in the soil composite with urea. In the presence of biosolids, there was no weed emergence and corn emergence was delayed and some leaf curling was observed. In the biochar and activated carbon amendments, emergence of weeds and corn was rapid, but limited phosphorus availability (P deficiency) was obvious. Observations suggest that a potential management plan of sequential addition of a limited amount of carbon material followed by biosolids prior to planting may take advantage of the best attributes of both materials. Amounts and timing between applications of the two amendments require further evaluation. Colorado Barbarick et al developed the idea that the uptake coefficients used in the original USEPA biosolids risk assessment of trace metal effects should be based on long-term data and not on one-time greenhouse or field studies. Michigan Tetracyclines are frequently found in soil and water environment, which could exert selective pressure on surrounding bacteria for development and enrichment of antibiotic resistant strains. Tetracycline contains ionizable functional groups that manifest several species with charges at different locales and differential net charges. Hui at al used an E. coli bioreporter to investigate tetracycline uptake and evoke antibiotic resistance genes from solution under varying conditions of pH, salt composition and organic acid ligands. The expression of antibiotic resistance gene in the E. coli bioreporter responded linearly to intracellular tetracycline concentration. Both Mg2+ and Ca2+ in solutions reduced uptake of tetracycline by E. coli hence diminishing the bioresponse. The presence of organic acid ligands altered tetracycline speciation in a manner that enhanced tetracycline uptake by E. coli. Increasing bacterial uptake of tetracycline and concomitant enhanced antibiotic resistance response were positively related to the degree of organic acid ligand complexation of metal cations in the order: citric acid > oxalic acid > malonic acid > succinic acid > acetic acid. Among the various tetracycline species present in solution, including both metal-complexed and free (noncomplexed) species, zwitterionic tetracycline was identified as the predominant species that most readily passed through the cell membrane eliciting activation of the antibiotic resistance gene in the E. coli. Ohio Developing management recommendations for lead contaminated urban soils is necessary to address public questions regarding best practices for using urban soils for food and recreation. Basta et al has investigated addition of phosphates to lead-contaminated soils as a management technique for reducing risk of exposure of children to soil lead. Lead contaminated soils (790 to 1,300 mg Pb kg-1) from a garden and a city lot in Cleveland, OH were incubated in a bench scale experiment for 1 year. Six phosphate amendments including bone meal (BM), fish bone (FB), poultry litter (PL), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), and triple super phosphate (TSP) were added to pots at two application rates. Six phosphate amendments showed mixed results on their ability to reduce soil lead bioaccessibility (IVBA Pb) and exposure risk to children. speciation. Soil amendments were largely ineffective in reducing IVBA Pb in these two urban soils when using EPA Method 1340. However, P-treatments were much more effective when evaluated using modifications of EPA Method 1340. The greatest reductions in IVBA Pb were found at pH 2.5. Reductions in bioaccessible Pb from soil treatment ranged from 5-26% for the pH 2.5 extractions. A modified EPA Method 1340 that does not contain glycine and uses pH 2.5 rather than 1.5 has potential to predict efficacy of P soil amendments to reduce bioaccessible and bioavailable Pb. Pennsylvania Elliot et al. evaluated fate of Pin soils irrigated with secondary effluent for about 40 years. They performed a total phosphorus (TP) mass balance for adjacent cropped and forest sites that had been receiving wastewater irrigation for 40 years which indicated that 63 and 70% of net (applied minus harvested) TP could not be accounted for in the top 75 cm of soil in the field and forest, respectively. It is likely that surface runoff and subsurface lateral flow of effluent P, documented by other researchers, is partially responsible for the deficit of P in the 0-75 cm soil layer. Moreover, changes in the P-retention ability of the soil and the high hydraulic loading rate (irrigation plus natural precipitation of ~300 cm water per year) has probably caused leaching of P below the 75 cm depth. However, the surface Mehlich-P level stabilized at about 110 ppm, indicating the soils have tremendous capacity to accommodate P-containing effluent without increasing the concern for runoff loss of P. 2. Fate and transformations of emerging contaminants in soils: The hormones 17 beta-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), 17 alpha-ethynlestradiol (EE2) were found to be strongly retained by soils in column leaching experiments such that leachate estrogen concentrations were generally <10% of the applied levels. There was, however, evidence of the presence of preferential flow paths. Concentrations of carbamazazepine (CBZ) were determined in soils receiving wastewater irrigation for >25 years under three different land uses: cropped, grassed, and forested. Results suggest that the soils adsorb CBZ and slow its movement into groundwater, compared to the movement of non-adsorbed chemicals. 3. Amendments for reclamation of mined lands: Field experiments showed that manure and papermill sludge resulted in switchgrass production of 5-6 Mg/ha on strip mined land but Atlantic coastal panic grass and big bluestem had lowered production yields. Mushroom compost resulted in switchgrass yields as high as 10 Mg/ha, but this was accompanied by substantial increases in soil P levels. Virginia Xia et al. conducted rainfall simulations on plots receiving three manure treatments (surface application, subsurface injection, and no manure control) to determine the fate and transport of pirlimycin, an antibiotic commonly used in dairy production. Pirlimycin concentrations were higher in the soil of injection slit than in the soil receiving surface application; however, surface application resulted in greater mass loss of pirlimycin. Subsurface injection reduced runoff losses by 97%. Xia et al. investigated the reaction kinetics of Fe3+-saturated montmorillonite to catalyze 17?-estradiol (?E2) transformation into less harmful oligomers using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Rapid ?E2 transformation in the presence of Fe3+-saturated montmorillonite in an aqueous system occurred. The disappearance of ?E2 follows 1st-order kinetic while the overall catalytic reaction follows the 2nd order kinetic with an estimated reaction rate constant of 200±24 (mmol ?E2/g mineral)-1h–1. ?E2 oligomers were found to be the major products of ?E2 transformation when exposed to Fe3+-saturated montmorillonite. About 98% of ?E2 were transformed into ?E2 oligomers which are >107 times less water soluble than ?E2 and, therefore, are much less bioavailable and mobile then ?E2. Badgley et al. sampled and analyzed 12-year old reclaimed mine soils to determine whether amending with biosolids during the reclamation process had residual effects on soil microbial diversity. Both bacterial and fungal diversity were more influenced by vegetation type than biosolids application rate, suggesting that biosolids caused no long-term effects on soil microbial communities. Eick et al. characterized properties of seleniferous soils and the associated vegetation near Soda Springs, Idaho to better understand soil properties that control plant Se uptake for the development of cost effective techniques to reduce Se concentrations in plants. Plant Se concentrations were greater in Western Mountain Astor (ranging from 500 to 7000 mg kg-1) than alfalfa. Evanylo et al. compared the availability, N use efficiency and leaching potential of nitrogen from two application timing strategies of lime stabilized and anaerobically digested biosolids with routine inorganic N fertilization practices for wheat in the Virginia coastal plain. Grain yields, N use efficiency, and N recovery for both biosolids products with both application timing strategies were greater than or equal to inorganic fertilizer on soils of varying textures. The advantages of biosolids over inorganic fertilizer occurred whether the residuals were applied all at planting (i.e., 100% agronomic N rate) or 50% at planting with the remaining 50% agronomic N rate topdressed at the end of winter. On coarse-textured soil, the split anaerobically digested biosolids-fertilizer treatment increased yield and N use efficiency above that of the 100% agronomic anaerobically digested biosolids N rate at planting, but there were no differences between timing strategies in finer-textured soils or for lime stabilized biosolids. Ervin and Evanylo compared the effects of various Exceptional Quality (EQ) biosolids products on rehabilitation of disturbed urban soil for the establishment and production of cool season turfgrass. Three split applications of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer during the year of establishment produced higher quality turfgrass than one-time agronomic N application rates of anaerobically digested biosolids, composted biosolids, and biosolids blended with sand and sawdust, likely due to better long term provision of N by the fertilizer. Second season split topdressing of the biosolids products more closely approximated the split fertilizer N growth and quality responses, demonstrating that turfgrass benefited from split biosolids N and residual organic matter effects. From 2004-2014, Daniels et al. implemented and monitored a range of soil building treatments including lime+P additions, deep ripping, biosolids applied at 78 Mg/ha, minimum tillage and residue management to rehabilitate eastern Virginia prime farmland disturbed by mineral sands mining. After nine years, crop yields on restored mined lands averaged 75 to 80% of non-mined nearby farmlands and always exceeded local county mean yields. This work has demonstrated that intensive soil reconstruction will allow for the return of these mine soils to economically viable agriculture despite reduced yield. From 2004 to the present, Daniels et al. characterized a wide range of dredge spoils to determine their use limiting properties and features. The researchers developed an Excel base screening template that uses approximately 100 chemical and physical laboratory parameters to categorize (A) "clean fill" materials that can be used without monitoring or surface water containment, (B) partially contaminated materials that can be beneficially re-used following remediation with appropriate monitoring, and (c) significantly contaminated materials that should not be used. This “screening template” approach was adopted as permit criteria by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in fall 2012 and revised in 2014 for site specific application in Charles City County. Daniels et al. monitored the long term conversion of saline dredge materials to upland agricultural soils and local shallow groundwater effects. These materials quickly leach excess soluble salts and Na and were successfully cropped to winter wheat and soybeans in drier locations in 2014. Long term results of this program are summarized in a JEQ article cited below. Lime stabilized biosolids were applied in fall 2013 to treat and stabilize newly exposed acid-sulfate soils due to recurring construction activities at the Stafford Airport site in Northern Virginia. Monitoring of revegetation confirmed that (a) continued usage of an acid-base-accounting approach to establish site loading rates based on predicted long-term lime demands was appropriate and (b) original subsoil materials >15 cm at this site had been largely unaffected by the original treatment in the early 2000s, and full “reclamation rates” of lime stabilized biosolids were still required. Daniels and Evanylo tested four paper mill sludges, two wood ash materials, and completed work on three biosolids ashes for potential soil amendment certification by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This testing program enables beneficial land application of industrial by-products in lieu of landfilling. Washington Urban agriculture is experiencing a resurgence across the US. The potential benefits of urban agriculture from both the perspectives of ecosystem services and public health are only beginning to be addressed. Brown and co-workers have co- edited a two volume series on urban agriculture entitled Sowing Seeds in the city to be published by Springer. The first volume focuses on ecosystem and municipal services. It includes chapters on use of alternative water (stormwater, grey water and reclaimed water) including one written by Ian Pepper, (UA), residuals use (biosolids, food and yard waste) and greenhouse gas implications of residuals use in urban agriculture. The second volume focuses on human health. In the section on risk, we have contributed chapters from members of the group including Nick Basta (OSU) and Ganga Hettiarachchi. (KSU). These volumes are some of the first compiled considerations of this emerging topic that has great potential to benefit public health, increase urban sustainability and to foster ecosystem services in urban areas. Brown and co-workers have also worked on defining standards for green stormwater infrastructure in urban areas. Green stormwater infrastructure relies on enhancing soil/plant systems’ ability to both allow stormwater to infiltrate and to remove contaminants from stormwater. These systems are being used both alone and in combination with grey or engineered systems as a way to limit combined sewer overflows in urban areas. They are also likely to enhance off peak stream flow and reduce the flashiness of urban streams. Current standards for these systems vary widely by location and appear to be more qualitative than quantitative. Our work tested the importance of compost feedstock for removal of nutrients and metals and found that feedstock (manure, biosolids, yard/food scraps) was a poor predictor of system performance. We also tested the potential for the phosphorus saturation index (PSI) to serve as a better predictor and found that this tool predicted P movement in these systems. We also demonstrated that high Fe water treatment residuals were beneficial in these systems. This builds on the literature and research done within the group (see Basta, Elliott, O’Connor) on the PSI as a tool for predicting P movement in biosolids amended soils. Brown et al tested the resilience of a long-term mine waste impacted site amended with biosolids to maintain a plant cover and reduce hazards associated with the contaminants in situ. A range of measures including animal trapping and kidney and liver pathology were used to confirm the safety of this approach. In addition to confirming the efficacy of the use of amendments for restoration, we compared the relative ecosystem costs of topsoil harvesting and replacement with biosolids use for restoring the large acreage site. We estimated the costs of topsoil harvesting by using the rate of soil formation in combination with the current payback rate for the USDA Conservation Reserve Program to estimate costs of topsoil replacement. The greenhouse gas benefits of remediation with biosolids were used for comparison. The results clearly showed the benefits of residuals use, both as a result of effectiveness and for ecosystem services.

Journal articles Attanayake, C.P., G.M. Hettiarchchi, S. Martin, and G.M. Pierzynski. 2015. Potential bioavailability of lead, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in compost-amended urban soils. J. Environ. Qual. 44:930-944. Doi: 10.2134/jeq2014.09.0400. Barbarick, K.A., J.A. Ippolito, and J. McDaniel. 2015. Uptake coefficients for biosolids-amended dryland winter wheat. J. Environ. Qual. 44:286-292. Bertagnoli, A.D., K.A. Meinhardt, M. Pannu, S. Brown, S. Strand, S.C. Fransen and D.A. Stahl. 2015. Influence of edaphic and management factors on the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaeota and bacteria in soils of bioenergy crop cultivars. Environ. Microbiology Reports 7:2:312-320 Betancourt, W.Q., M. Kitajima, A.D. Wing, J. Regnery, J.E. Drewes, I.L. Pepper, and C.P. Gerba. 2014. Assessment of virus removal by managed aquifer recharge at three full-scale operations. J. Env. Sci. Hlth, Part A. 49:1-8. Brown, S. 2015. Greenhouse gas accounting for landfill diversion of food scraps and yard waste. Compost Sci. In press Brown, S., M. Mahoney and M. Sprenger. 2014. A comparison of the efficacy and ecosystem impact of residuals-based and topsoil-based amendments for restoring historic mine tailings in the Tri-State mining district. Sci. Tot. Environ. 485-486:624-632. Brown, S.L., A.Corfman, K. Mendrey, K. Kurtz, and F. Grothkopp. 2015. Stormwater Bioretention systems- testing the phosphorus saturation index and compost feedstocks as predictive tools for system performance. J. Environ. Qual., In press Chao Q., D. Troya, C. Shang, S. Hildreth, R. Helm, and K. Xia. 2015. Surface Catalyzed Oxidative Oligomerization of 17?-estradiol by Fe3+-Saturated Montmorillonite. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49:956–964. Cheng-Hua Liu, Ya-Hui Chuang, Tsan-Yao Chen, Yuan Tian, Hui Li, Ming-Kuang Wang, and Wei Zhang. 2015. Mechanism of Arsenic Adsorption on Magnetite Nanoparticles from Water: Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Studies. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49:7726-7734. Cun Liu, Cheng Gu, Kai Yu, Hui Li, Brian J. Teppen, Cliff T. Johnston, Stephen A. Boyd, and Dongmei Zhou. 2015. Integrating structural and thermodynamic mechanisms for sorption of PCBs by montmorillonite. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49:2796-2805. Daniels, W., Z. Orndorff, C. Zipper. 2014. Predicting release and aquatic effects of total dissolved solids from Appalachian USA coal mines. International Journal of Coal Science and Technology 1:152-162. Defoe, P.P, G.M. Hettiarachchi, C. Benedict, and S. Martin. 2014. Safety of Gardening on Lead- and Arsenic-Contaminated Urban Brownfields. J. Environ. Qual. 43:2041- 2078. Doi: 10.2134/jeq2014.03.0099. Dutta, T., C. Dell and R. Stehouwer. 2014. Linking organic carbon, water content, and nitrous oxide emission in a reclaimed mine soil. Accepted online Sept 27, 2014 Land Degradation & Development, Doi: 10.1002/ldr.2333. Elliott, H.A. and M. Taylor. 2014. Phosphorus partitioning in co-dewatering biosolids and water treatment residuals. Water Sci. Tech. 70(3):422-429. Evans, D., C. Zipper, P. Donovan, W. Daniels. 2014. Long-term trends of specific conductance in waters discharged by coal-mine valley fills in central Appalachia, USA. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 50:1449-1460. Fahrenfeld, N., K. Knowlton, L. A. Krometis, W. C. Hession, K. Xia, E. Lipscomb, K. Libuit, B. L. Green, A. Pruden. 2014. Effect of Manure Application on Abundance of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and their Attenuation Rates in Soil: Field-Scale Mass Balance Approach. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48:2643–2650. Gunatilake, S. R., J. W Kwon, T. E. Mlsna, and K. Xia. 2014. A novel approach to determine estrogenic hormones in swine lagoon wastewater using QuEChERS method combined with solid phase extraction, and LC/MS/MS analysis. Anal. Methods. 6:9267-9275. Huaizhou Xu, Xiaolei Qu, Hui Li, Cheng Gu, and Dongqiang Zhu. 2014. Sorption of Tetracycline to Varying-Sized Montmorillonite Fractions. J. Environ. Qual. 43:2079-2085. Ippolito, J.A., K.A. Barbarick, and R.B. Brobst. 2014. Copper and zinc speciation in a biosolids amended, semiarid grassland soil. J. Environ. Qual. 43:1576-1584 Kitajima, J., A.T. Rachmadi, B.C. Iker, E. Haramoto, I.L. Pepper, and C.P. Gerba. 2015. Occurrence and genetic diversity of human cosavirus in influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants in Arizona, United States. Arch. Virol. 160:1775-1779. Kitajima, M., B.C. Iker, I.L. Pepper, and C.P. Gerba. 2014. Relative abundance and treatment reduction of viruses during wastewater treatment processes – identification of potential viral indicators. Sci. Tot. Environ. Vol. 488-489, pp. 290-296. Koropchak, S., W. Daniels, A. Wick, G.R. Whittecar, N. Haus. 2015. Beneficial use of dredge materials for soil reconstruction and development of dredge screening protocols. J. Environ. Qual. Doi:10.2134/jeq2014.12.0529. Liu, J., D.J. Sample, J. Owen, J. Li, and G.K. Evanylo. 2014. Assessment of selected bioretention blends for nutrient retention using mesocosm experiments. J. Environ. Qual. Vol 43, Doi: 10.2134/jeq2014.01.0017. McDaniel, J.P., G. Butters, K.A. Barbarick, and M.E. Stomburger. 2015. Effects of Aporrectodea caliginosa on soil hydraulic properties and solute dispersivity. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 79:838-847. Meinhardt, K.A., A. Bertagnolli, M. Pannu, S.E. Strand, S.L. Brown and D.A. Stahl. 2015. Evaluation of revised polymerase chain reaction primers for more inclusive quantification of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria. Environ. Microbiology Reports 7:2:354-363. Odenheimer J., J. Skousen, L. McDonald, D. Vesper, M. Mannix, W. Daniels. 2014. Predicting release of total dissolved solids from overburden material using acid-base accounting parameters. Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, Online First. Doi: 10.1144/geochem2014-276. Orndorff, Z., W. Daniels, C. Zipper, M. Eick, M. Beck. 2015. A column evaluation of Appalachian coal mine cpoils’ temporal leaching behavior. Environ. Pollut. 204:39-47. Pietrzykowski, M., W. Daniels. 2014. Estimation of carbon sequestration in pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) ecosystems developed on post-mining sites in Poland. Ecological Engineering 73: 209-218. Ray, P., K.F. Knowlton, C. Shang, and K. Xia. 2014. Development and validation of a UPLC-MS/MS method to monitor cephapirin excretion in dairy cows following intramammary infusion. PLoS ONE. 9:1-12. Ray, P., K.F. Knowlton, C. Shang, and K. Xia. 2014. Method development and validation: solid phase extraction (SPE)-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) quantification of pirlimycin in bovine feces and urine. J AOAC International. 97:1730-1736. Sherchan, S., S.A. Snyder, C.P. Gerba, and I.L. Pepper. 2014. Inactivation of MS2 coliphage by UV and hydrogen peroxide: comparison by cultural and molecular methodologies. J. Env. Sci. Hlth. Part A. 49:397-403. Sherchan, S.P., Masaaki, K., Gerba, C.P., and Pepper, I.L. 2014. Rapid detection technologies for monitoring microorganisms in water. Biosensors J. 3:109. Doi: 10.4172/2090-4967.1000109. Wanting Lin, Rui Sun, Xi Gao, Ranfang Xu, and Hui Li. 2015. Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids Enhance Desorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Soil. European Journal of Soil Science 66:339-347. Woodward, E.E., D.M. Andrews, C.F. Williams, J.E. Watson. 2014. Vadose zone transport of natural and synthetic estrogen hormones at Penn State’s “Living Filter” wastewater irrigation site. J. Environ. Qual. 43:1933-1941. Ya-Hui Chuang, Yingjie Zhang, Wei Zhang, Stephen A. Boyd, and Hui Li. 2015. Comparison of accelerated solvent extraction and quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method for extraction and determination of pharmaceuticals in vegetables. J. Chromatogr. A 1404:1-9. Yarwood, S., A. Wick, M. Williams, W. Daniels. 2015. Parent material and vegetation influence early soil microbial community establishment following 30-years of rock weathering. Microbial. Ecol. 69:383-94. Yingjie Zhang, Stephen A. Boyd, Brian J. Teppen, James M. Tiedje, and Hui Li. 2014. Role of Tetracycline Speciation in the Bioavailability to Escherichia coli for Uptake and Expression of Antibiotic Resistance. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48:4893-4900. Yingjie Zhang, Stephen A. Boyd, Brian J. Teppen, James M. Tiedje, and Hui Li. 2014. Organic Acids Enhance Bioavailability of Tetracycline in Water to Escherichia coli for Uptake and Expression of Antibiotic Resistance. Water. Res. 65:98-106. Zeyou Chen, Hui Li, Yanzheng Gao, and Anping Peng. 2015. Removal of Phenanthrene and Acenaphthene from Aqueous Solution by Enzyme-Catalyzed Phenol Coupling Reaction. Chemical Engineering Journal 265:27-33. Abstracts/ presentations Bamber, K.W., G.K. Evanylo and W.E. Thomason. 2014. Nitrogen cycling from fall applications of biosolids to winter small grains. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Bero, N., S. Griffith, D.J. Soldat, J. Stier, E.H. Ervin, and G. Evanylo. 2014. Using biosolids for turfgrass sod production. Agron. Abr. p. 89253. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Ervin, E.H., A. Boyd, and G. Evanylo. 2014. Development and testing of EQ biosolids mixes for amending disturbed urban soils and improving tall fescue drought resistance. Agron. Abr. p. 87504. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Evanylo, G.K. 2014. Integration of the role of vegetation and soil in urban landscape environmental quality: Session summary & posing future needs. In Symposium: Effects of nutrient cycling in urban grassland soils on soil and water quality. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Evanylo, G.K., J. Liu, and D. Sample. 2014. Bioretention cell performance: Influence of media chemical and physical properties. BioCycle East pre-conference workshop: Soils and the Chesapeake. Ellicott City, MD. Oct 27. Evanylo, G.K., J. Liu, D. Sample, J. Owen, and J. Li. 2014. Comparison of bioretention media composition on performance. BioCycle East Conference. Ellicott City, MD. Oct 28. Favorito, J., Eick, M.J. and Grossl, P.R. 2015. Selenium biogeochemistry in calcareous soils. CSES graduate symposium. Blacksburg, VA. Hemmerling, J., M. L. Mashtare, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Commercial Biosolid-based Fertilizers. SURF Poster Symposium. West Lafayette, IN. (Award: Top Ten Poster). Hettiarachchi, G.M., C. Attanayake, P. Defoe, and S. Martin. 2014. Growing food crops on urban soils. ASA/SSSA/CSA Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2014. Hettiarachchi, G.M., C. Attanayake, P. Defoe, S. Martin, and G. M. Pierzynski. 2014. Minimizing human exposure to contaminants in urban soils. ASA/SSSA/CSA Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2014. Huertas A.F. L., M. L. Mashtare, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Persistence of Emerging Contaminants from Commercial Biosolids-Based Fertilizers in Aerobic Soils. Purdue University Ecological Sciences and Engineering Poster Symposium, West Lafayette, IN. Lee, L.S., Mashtare, M.M., Hemmerling, J. and A.F.L. Huertas. 2015 Assessing Organic Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Commercially Available in Biosolid-based Fertilizers. WEF/IWE Residuals and Biosolids Workshop. Mashtare, M. L., J. Hemmerling, A. Zull, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Evaluating Poly/Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Commercial Biosolids-based Fertilizers. 2014 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America 35th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Mashtare, M. L., J. Hemmerling, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Commercial Biosolid-based Fertilizers. Soil in the City Conference Mashtare, M. L., J. Hemmerling, F. L. Huertas Ayala, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Evaluating the Concentration and Bioavailability of Micropollutants in Commercial Biosolids-based Fertilizers. 2014 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. McAdams, B. N., M. L. Mashtare, and L. S. Lee. 2014. Characterization and Reclamation of Railroad-Impacted Soils. Purdue University Ecological Sciences and Engineering Poster Symposium, West Lafayette, IN. (Award: 2nd Place Poster) McDaniel, J., K. Barbarick, and G. Butters. 2015. Soil phosphorus accumulation following 20 years of wheat-fallow with biosolids. American Society of Agronomy Abstract 94-8. Pepper, I.L., Snyder, S.A., Yu, H-W., and Anumol, T. 2014. Monitoring for Reliability and Process Control of Potable Reuse Applications. Water Reuse Conference, Sao Paulo Brazil. Oct. 2014. Qin, C., K. Xia, D. Troya, C. Shang. Oxidative Coupling Processes on Fe3+-Saturated Montmorillonite Surfaces: Polymerization of 17?-Estradiol. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Ray, P., K. F. Knowlton, C. Shang, and K. Xia. 2015 Fecal and urinary elimination kinetics of cephalosporin and lincosamide antibiotics in dairy cows following intramammary infusion: Application of SPE clean-up and UPLCMS/MS quantification approach. 249th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Denver, CO. Mar. 22–26. Schmitz, B., Gerba, C., and Pepper, I. Pathogen and Nutrient Removal During Wastewater Treatment at a 21st Century Wastewater Treatment Plant. 19th European and Organic Resources Conference, Manchester, UK, Nov. 2014. Weeks, J., G.M. Hettiarachchi, E. Santos, and J. Tatarko. 2014. Assessment of Potential Human Inhalation Exposure to Soil Trace Elements Resulting from Agricultural Activity on Urban Brownfield Sites. ASA/SSSA/CSA Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2013 Xia, K., and L. Hundal. Occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants in biosolids and biosolids-amended soils. 2014 International Symposium on Environment and Health (ISEH 2014). Beijing, China. July 4-5 2014. Xia, K., B. Badgley, C. Hession, L.A. Krometis, and T. Sosienski. Occurrence of Emerging Contaminant 4-Nonylphenol in Stream Water of a Mixed Use Small Watershed: Impact of Urban Storm Water Runoff. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. Nov. 2-5, 2014. Xia, K., B. Badgley, C. Hession, L.A. Krometis, T. Sosienski. Occurrence of 4-Nonylphenol in a Mixed Use Small Watershed. 2014 Mid-Atlantic Water Conference. Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Sept. 24-25, 2014. Xia, K., C Qin, D. Troya, and C. Shang. Surface catalyzed polymerization oemerging contaminants by Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite. 2014 International Symposium on Environment and Health (ISEH 2014). Beijing, China. July 4-5 2014. Books and Book chapters Brown, S and N. Goldstein. The Role of Organic Residuals in Urban Agriculture. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Brown, S. Soils and Climate Change. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Brown, S. A Guide to Types of Non Potable Water and the Potential for Reuse in Urban Systems. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Brown, S. and C. Cogger. Soil formation and nutrient cycling. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Human Dimensions. Springer publishers. In press Cogger, C. and S. Brown Curbside gardens. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Emery, I. and S. Brown Lettuce to Reduce Greenhouse Gases: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Community Agriculture. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Hue, N.V. 2015. Bioremediation of arsenic toxicity, p. 155-165. In Arsenic Toxicity and prevention. Narayan Chakrabarty (Ed.). CRC Press. McIvor, K. and S. Brown. A Case Study: Integrating Urban Agriculture into the Municipal Infrastructure in Tacoma, WA. In Brown, S and N. Goldstein. The Role of Organic Residuals in Urban Agriculture. In Brown, S.L., K. McIvor and E. Snyder (Eds). Sowing seeds in the city: Ecological and Municipal Considerations. Springer Publishers. In press Wang, Lawrence K., Nazih K. Shammas, Gregory K. Evanylo and Mu-Hao S. Wang. 2014. Engineering and management of agricultural land application. In L.K. Wang and C.T. Yang (Eds.) Modern Water Resources Engineering. Handbook of Environmental Engineering series. Humana Press -Springer Science, NY, USA. Extension Bulletin Defoe, P.P. D. Presley, and G.M. Hettiarachchi. Gardening on Lead-contaminated Soils. MF3166. http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/MF3166.pdf Martin, S. and G.M. Hettiarachchi. 2014. Gardening on Brownfields: Testing Your Soil for Contaminants. MF3192. http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/MF3192.pdf Trade Journals Brown, S. 2007-present Climate Change Connections- monthly column Biocycle magazine. Technical Reports Barbarick, K.A., and J. McDaniel. 2015. Biosolids application to no-till dryland crop rotations. Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Report. TR15-5. Barbarick, K.A., T. Gourd, and J. McDaniel. 2015. Application of anaerobically digested biosolids to dryland winter wheat. Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Report. TR15-4. Dissertations and Theses Bamber, Kevin. 2014. Nitrogen cycling from fall applications of biosolids to winter wheat. CSES M.S. Thesis. [Evanylo] Berek, A. K. 2015. Biochar as a soil amendment. Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of Hawaii. May 2015. 142 p. Webinars October 15, 2014. G. Hettiarachchi conducted a webinar entitled “Managing contaminants in urban vegetable gardens to minimize human exposure” as part of the CLU-IN Webinar Series (an ongoing series of webinars organized by USEPA Technology Innovation and Field Service Division). September 26, 2014. G. Hettiarachchi and S. Martin conducted a webinar titled “Contaminant Uptake in Food Crops grown on Brownfield Sites” as part of the Redevelopment Institute’s Sustainability Series, an ongoing series of webinars focused on sustainable development topics.