ST. ALBANS — A plan to spread municipal sludge and wood ash on a St. Albans farm has sparked recent opposition.

St. Albans residents may attend an informational meeting at the town hall at 7 tonight to learn more about plans for sludge spreading at the Gerald Robertson farm on Mason Corner Road.

Given the activity of the past few days, information may have little meaning for the 68 people who signed a petition presented to selectmen Monday night. Opponents of the sludge spreading urged the board to take action to ban the practice in St. Albans.

Petition organizers expressed concern about the content of the sludge and the methods and purpose of testing, monitoring, accountability and enforcement, according to Town Manager Larry Post.

Selectmen directed Post to pursue the development of a sludge control ordinance for review at the next board meeting. In addition, Post was asked to look into methods of barring the current proposal until townspeople can act on an ordinance at a special town meeting. The board is prepared to follow through on that directive with a court injunction if necessary, Post said.

In the last five to six years, many communities surrounding St. Albans have developed ordinances to regulate or ban outright the practice in their towns. The movement has succeeded in preventing many farmers from using the sludge as a cost-effective soil amendment on their property.

Representatives from Browning-Ferris Industries, BFI, Organics and the Department of Environmental Protection are scheduled to appear at tonight’s meeting to explain the proposal for Gerald Robertson’s farm and the sludge spreading process in general.

In other business Monday night, the board authorized Post to engage engineering assistance to prepare bid documents for repair work scheduled on the town-owned dam at the outlet to Big Indian Lake. The project will go out to bid in the coming weeks in hopes that construction can start in August.