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Back Bay Restoration Foundation Forum. Horse Waste Management … and its impact on water quality . Presented by: Willie Woode Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd. Thursday March 13, 2008. Educating and building relationships.
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Back Bay Restoration Foundation Forum Horse Waste Management … and its impact on water quality Presented by: Willie Woode Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd Thursday March 13, 2008
Managing horse waste … … BIGProblem!
BBRF is dedicated to improving water quality throughout the BACK BAY Watershed
PoorManureManagement Leachate (a.k.a. Black Tea)
…EnormousVolume !!! - A fully grown horse generates 45 Cubic feet of waste in one day - Equates to greater than8.2 tons per year • A five-horse operation with 50% confinement has • to manage 20.5 tons of waste per year
… Pollutants originate from our land use activities “An ounce of Prevention Is worth a pound of cure”
How can we help protect • Back Bay water resources ? • Ship waste offsite to an environmentally safe location • Spread waste regularly • Store or pile waste before spreading • Compost all waste before spreading
What is composting? • An oxygen requiring (anaerobic) process through • which complex organic materials are broken down • into simpler components in the presence of specific • Conditions, including : • Organic material • Temperature • Moisture • Oxygen
What are the essentials for a complete composting process? • Constant replenishment of Oxygen • Appropriate C:N ratio • Temperature regulation • Moisture replenishment
What do composting facilities look like? berm tarp manure
… Composting facility Multi-cell Composting Facility – No Roof
Factors to consider when sizing your Composting facility • Stall cleaning habits • Number and size of animals • Average daily confinement • Spreading cycles
How does composting help improve water quality in the Back Bay Watershed? • Volume reduction • Improves biological, physical and chemical properties of soil • Recycles some nutrients back into the pastures
Let’s all convert “POOP” into “BLACK GOLD”
Back Bay Restoration Foundation Forum Horse Waste Management … and it’s impact on water quality Presented by: Willie Woode Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd Thursday March 13, 2008