Come on, Archie

Archie McPhee’s recent Letter to the Editor (“Can FPUD add, subtract and multiply?” Village News, 6/19/08) again demonstrates Mr. McPhee’s inability to give the Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) staff and board of directors credit for their usual good job.

Our new award-winning sludge drying operation (“FPUD wins Award of Excellence for recycling device,” Village News, 6/19/08) actually saves an estimated $72,000 per year after deducting $75,000 per year in new operating costs from the recent $150,000 per year cost of having a contractor haul the wet sludge to a Riverside County composting facility.

Last year’s notification that Riverside County was requiring the closure of the only such facility in southern California left FPUD with the alternatives of paying double the cost and hauling the wet sludge to alternative sites in Kern County or Arizona or utilizing this innovative high-tech drying process that will pay for itself with savings.

The drying process is odor-free and results in a sterile product that is an excellent organic soil additive. The board made the obvious choice and the staff did an excellent job of getting it purchased, installed and working, and this decision was made prior to the increase in diesel fuel costs that would have make the haul-away alternative even more expensive.

Come on, Archie – give the FPUD staff and board of directors credit for getting it right, at least in this case.

Bert Hayden

President,

FPUD board of directors