Alpena Septic Service

Farmers in northeast Lower Michigan watched Richard Gillespie of Alpena Septic Service grow corn and alfalfa on mediocre sandy loam soils after land-applying the wastewater he pumped.
They couldn’t raise those crops without using tons of costly nitrogen fertilizer and wanted to
substitute some septage, but Gillespie turned them down. The demand far outstripped his
supply.

Richard and Lynn Gillespie are pumpers who elected to stay on the land by building a septage storage facility that meets 2004 Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, or MDEQ, regulations. They joined the Michigan Septic Tank Association to have a voice in future septage regulations. Richard Gillespie is on the association’s board of directors.  “We want state legislators to understand that recycling wastewater benefits farmers and lowers pumping prices for consumers,” says Gillespie.

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