Waste at BS Ranch & Farm came from far and wide

LAKELAND — The human waste came by the thousands of tons to BS Ranch & Farm.

It was delivered from as far away as Okeechobee and as close as Dover from Nov. 1, 2016, through March 20. In all, records from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection reported that 25,000 tons of treated human waste was taken to the 300-acre East Lakeland facility from 38 wastewater plants.

The waste came from all across Florida, including four wastewater treatment plants in Hillsborough County, four plants in Pasco County and three plants in Hardee County. Polk County disposes of its treated waste at its landfill.

Residents in the area say the noxious smell in East Lakeland started in late December. That’s about the time truckloads of waste from a plant in Orlando dumped hundreds of tons of waste at the facility. In March, the DEP cited BS Ranch for the odor on five occasions.