As representatives from Allegheny County Sanitary Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection made presentations Wednesday on treated municipal waste being spread as fertilizer in Jackson Township, residents upset over the practice picketed outside the Jackson Center Firehall.

The residents, who now call themselves Jackson Township Concerned Citizens Committee, said they didn't want to listen to information they'd already heard.

"We don't want to hear them spout the party line," said Robert Grant of 1536 Franklin Road, Jackson Township, one of the most vocal critics of the waste that was dumped on 800 acres in the township last month.

Grant said a representative of the group was among the 20 people who heard DEP and ALCOSAN officials make the case for the waste before Jackson Township supervisors met Wednesday.

About 100 people -- including the demonstrators, state Sen. Robert D. "Bob" Robbins, Salem Township, R-50 and Douglas Alderman, executive director of operations with Burch Hydro Inc., the company which delivers and applies the treated waste -- attended the supervisors meeting.

Robbins represents the township and sponsored a Senate bill that some think would make it harder for communities to stop sludge dumping. Burch Hydro subcontracted the spreading of treated waste on farmland owned by Roy Neer of Quail Run Road, Slippery Rock Township to NU Soil Farms, Inc.

"I'm scared to death," said Laura Vernam of Parker Road in Jackson Township during a 90-minute question-and-answer period set aside by the supervisors. "I have a four-year old. I want to see him graduate from high school. I want to know we'll be all right. Can you tell me that?"

Carole Shanahan, ALCOSAN's residuals program manager, tried to allay fears.

"All we have to do is use our common sense. This has been done throughout the United States for years," she said. "If people were going to be sick from this, don't you think we'd see those results at this time?"

Grant claimed two people, one from Osceola Mills, Pa., and another from New Hampshire, may have died from sludge-related pathogens.

"Neither one of the cases were proven," said DEP Soil Scientist Regina Schweinsberg.

Supervisor Brian Patterson, who moderated the session, tried to keep people calm as questions began to outnumber answers.

"I know there are facts on each side and we could sit here all night and discuss it. But it is a legally practiced thing in the state of Pennsylvania," he said.

Robbins said the bill he sponsored has nothing to do with the spreading of sludge on farmland.

"Senate Bill 1413 doesn't prohibit it and doesn't provide for it," he said. "It just reaffirms the farms' right to farm. All it does is reaffirm the present law of Pennsylvania."

Tracy Grant, Grant's wife, was concerned about treated sewerage being classified "agricultural product."

"Can it sneak in there," she said, referring to Robbins' bill, which protects of agricultural businesses from so-called nuisance lawsuits.

"No, it can't," Robbins said. Then he added that he did not know all the answers, but would be meeting with DEP officials Friday to get some answers.

"I don't even know if this scenario would fall under the right to farm bill anyhow. I don't even know if this could be considered farmland," Robbins said of the site, a former strip mine. "At this time, all I can promise you is I'm going to take a good, hard look at it."

Residents made it clear that they were upset that they did not have the opportunity to air their views on sewage before the waste product was brought into the community.

"DEP representatives at an earlier meeting couldn't even give us an answer of whether or not they would want this dumped in their backyard," said Mary Ann King of Jackson Center. "Nobody wanted to answer that, and they're representing me. I'm scared. I'm really scared."

Robbins tried to explain. "Very simply, no one is going to give you an answer that is absolutely safe. The truth is, you shouldn't let your kids out in the field when they spread manure."

The delivery of the material has been halted until 31 days after every neighbor adjacent to the property has received a formal letter about the process from the application company, said Patterson. Several people in the meeting said they still had not received a letter.