Posted at: 09/25/2009 8:32 AM

Neighbors Complain About Human Waste in Fertilizer

HOLY CROSS, Iowa (AP) - Some neighbors don't like the fertilizer Lee Wulfekuhl has been spreading on his crops near the Dubuque County town of Holy Cross.

The fertilizer is sewage sludge from the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Cedar Rapids, and it contains treated human waste.

Wulfekuhl and other farmers say the sludge is rich in nutrients, but neighbors Jim and Karen Ellerbach say the odor is offensive. They say the stench and chemicals in the air coming from Wulfekuhl farm are destroying their health.

DNR Environmental Specialist Mike Wade says the fertilizer Wulfekuhl is using does contain human waste but it is legal.

And Wulfekuhl says he is trying to help the city of Cedar Rapids by using the sludge, which would otherwise have to go into a landfill at city expense.