Permaculture Farming

Posts Tagged ‘gardening’

Divine Elohim visit at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute pt.1

Question: Oil/gas dumped in small quantities years ago. What risks are posed today?

We have some land near an oil distribution company, and apparently cost-saving methods of getting rid of oil and gas wastes, and dirt with oil soaked into it, were favored over environmentally beneficial methods. We think some may have been dumped into parts of the pond that we were considering using for irrigation, and though it was years ago and there are healthy fish in the pond, i still wonder if there are risks, especially since we are considering organic/Sustainable Farming.

Answer: A train track that was used in the 1800s has enough toxic sludge leftover to move people living near it. That happened to the city of Skykomish, WA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skykomish,_Washington

If oil was intentionally dumped, you’re lucky that animals living there haven’t been developing deformations.

There are bacteria that will eat up fuel and gasoline, but they are generally used for oil floating on surfaces of water, not in dirt. If you do a google search, you will get tons of different bacteria, but nearly all are experimental, and are costly. Going back to my example, the state is using $50 million to dig up the dirt, treat it, and replace it with different dirt.

Since the area looks clean, it should not be guessed. A professional test should evaluate the area. You don’t want it to end up like Michelle Obama’s ‘organic garden’ at the White house, which was actually toxic with lead and mercury.

Crowley Park Sustainable Organic Farm – Phase I

Permaculture Forest Garden UPDATE July 2008