Dane County is taking another step forward in improving water quality and managing farm waste. The county’s Land and Water Resources Department has released its Community Manure Treatment Feasibility Study, exploring where and how a new community digester could be built.
Watershed Manager Kyle Minks says the study examined several factors to identify ideal sites. This included proximity to farms, access to utilities and transportation routes, and avoidance of environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands. Population growth and land availability also played key roles.
After evaluating seven townships, the Town of Vienna ranked highest for potential development. The proposed facility would cover roughly 40 to 80 acres and could process manure from about 20,000 animals using multiple digester tanks.
Minks says cost depends on the technology and desired end products, but a facility of this scale would likely reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The goal is to create valuable byproducts, including renewable natural gas and concentrated nutrients, that could be marketed for energy or fertilizer use.
Dane County already operates two community digesters built in 2010 and 2013, which initially produced electricity before shifting to renewable natural gas.
While there are no immediate construction plans, Minks says the county remains committed to partnering with local farmers to find practical solutions for manure management. He says other counties doing similar projects are Brown and Washington counties.
See the report: https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/CompletedProjects/Detail/Community-Manure-Treatment-Feasibility-Study
Leave a Reply