Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration - Manure Composting Solution
Summit Trail Rides, Potter County PA installs Dungster composters through a grant to comply with the Pennsylvania’s Watershed Implementation Plan. See the details below.
Forty-three of Pennsylvania’s counties contain waterways that drain to either the Susquehanna or the Potomac rivers, which flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Clean water efforts at the county level are the foundation of Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (Phase 3 WIP). Of these, 34 counties are currently in the process of implementing Countywide Action Plans (CAPs).
DEP > Businesses > Water > Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management > Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Division
CAP implementation looks different for each county, but all have common needs for committed partners and effective communication. The Community Clean Water Action Plan Coordinator continues to play a critical role in implementing the CAPs. In order to meet the 2025 deadline identified by EPA, rapid implementation of Best Management Practices is needed.
To support this rapid implementation, DEP developed the Chesapeake Bay CAP Implementation Block Grant. The purpose of this program is to provide a mechanism to fund the implementation of CAPs developed at the county level to maximize specified nutrient and sediment reduction goals established as part of Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 WIP. During the development of the Phase 3 WIP, one of the main barriers or challenges the counties identified was the multiple application processes that had to be followed to receive state or federal funds. Through this Block Grant, multiple state and federal funding sources can be focused through one agreement to a lead county agency to implement the CAP.
Potter County Community Action Plan Grant Funds On-farm Composting
Coudersport PA – The Potter County Conservation District recently partnered with Summit Trail Rides and the Dungster LLC to implement a compostingsystem for sustainable manure management at their operation. What made the Summit Trail Rides equine boarding site desirable, the many remote trails adjacent to state forest, also made manure disposal a challenge as there is little land available for pasturing horses and spreading manure generated onsite. The operation is also located in very close proximity to the South Woods Branch, a High-Quality trout stream. As a result, the project was prioritized by the District due to its location in the upper reaches of the Susquehanna River Watershed. Community Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Block Grant funds administered by DEP were used to complete the work. In addition to the composting Dungster System, underground outlets were installed in conjunction with roof gutters. A stabilized animal walkway was also installed between the barn and the small pasture area. The total project investment was $50,635.00.
The Dungster LLC supplied a composting facility that is comprised of two new 30-yard composting dumpsters. It is assembled with aeration equipment on a concrete pad for secondary containment. The two units are complete with accessories including the DungsterGard molded and modular PE covers and Ramp-it-Up system for manual loading. The first batch of compost was composted in November 2024. Two unmodified 30-yard dumpsters host the aeration equipment. The Dungster LLC technology sits by gravity alone on the smooth steel floor. The blower is controlled by a timer to pulse air into the manure filled vessels. The Dungster system doses oxygen three times an hour in a heavy blast from the provided blower. The DungsterGard covers are segmented, four for each dumpster, and overlapping. This design allows the contents to “breathe” yet the elements cannot enter. The covers also mitigate leachate generation. In summertime, the covers deny flies a breeding ground for enhanced disease control. After a few weeks’ time the thermophilic or “hot phase” of composting is complete, the aeration system is extracted, the unit is emptied and readied for the process to repeat. One 30-yard vessel is absorbing daily chores while the other is actively composting.
To learn more contact Jason Childs, or Dungster can be contacted at
info@dungstercomposting.com, or visit the website www.dungstercomposting.com.
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