Typical sewage treatment plants produce toxic sludge that, when spread on farms, fields, forests, and gardens can seriously impact human health, livestock, food crops, forage, water, and soil.  Some states have adopted regulations to try to correct this but the federal government does little. EPA actually promotes these dangerous practices. When ocean dumping of sewage was banned under the Clean Water Act over 30 years ago, the EPA began promoting the land application of sewage wastes.  They are often given away free as "beneficial" soil amendments to farmers, landscapers and homeowners without disclosure of all of the harmful contaminants they contain.  Millions of tons have now been spread on agricultural and forest lands. Toxic PFAS chemicals in the biosolids have contaminated crops and animals.

The claim that sewage is "treated" in a treatment plant does not mean the waste becomes "clean" or "safe".  These plants can receive thousands of contaminants a day - mixtures of toxic chemicals such as PFAS, dioxins, flame retardants, drug-resistant pathogens, pharmaceuticals, toxic metals and microplastics.  The plant separates sewage solids from the liquid waste stream. Though the solids are placed in digesters where microbes feed on some contaminants, few are destroyed by this "treatment".  Some contaminants actually transform into more toxic forms.

Solid sewage wastes and liquid effluent contain similar contaminants. Effluent is released into rivers or groundwater or applied to farms, parks, or forests where it can seep into surface and ground water - waters often used as drinking water sources.