Dried human waste explodes at Hamilton water treatment plant

The Office of the Fire Marshal has been called to investigate an explosion late Wednesday at the Woodward Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Hamilton fire deputy chief Jon Barry said the explosion occurred around 6:10 p.m. in a biosolids management system at the city plant in north Hamilton that turns sewage sludge into fertilizer.

Sewage sludge is the semi-solid slurry left over after human waste is treated at a sewage treatment plant.

When it gets unloaded into a hopper, it dries and gets overheated, and the dust builds up friction and can explode," Barry said.

Damage from the blaze, which has since been doused, is pegged at $75,000.

Ontario's public safety regulator - the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) - has also been called to investigate the dust explosion, Barry said.

Barry said the explosion could have been dangerous," but noted it was in a confined area. There were no injuries.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com