• Featured Producers:
  Rick & Cheryl Benish, Akron, CO

Rick and Cheryl Benish are Farmland contractors in Akron, Colorado. They started using Pit Remedy initially in 2000 because Rick was unhappy with the smell in his pull plug buildings. Although they were exempt from Colorado’s new state regulations because of their size, Rick says they wanted to be able to meet these new odor regulations and head-off any potential problems with neighbors.

In addition Rick says, "I’ve got lots of other things to do around here. I really like the AutoShip plan. When the Pit Remedy arrives each month it reminds me it’s time to treat the pits."

• Colorado Trip - Covered Settling Pit

Last spring, Al had the opportunity to visit several Pit Remedy users in Colorado. Some of these producers have an interesting twist on manure handling. In many cases, manure must be hauled several miles to be applied. To reduce the number of hauling trips, a primary covered cement pit (180’x 13’x 8’) is built between the pull plug buildings and the secondary storage lagoon. Manure from the buildings flows into one end of this pit and out the other end into the lagoon. Solids settle to the bottom of the pit.

The settling pit is then pumped every 90 to 120 days and the thicker effluent goes to the field. The majority of the liquid in the secondary lagoon subsequently evaporates and/or can also be used in the buildings for recycle water.

What makes this design interesting is that it is a different approach to traditional dual earthen storage basin systems. Here in Nebraska, IBP was recently forced to cover their primary anaerobic lagoons in Dakota City, NE due to hydrogen sulfide emissions. Colorado initially intended to regulate large anaerobic lagoons by mandating they be covered. Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency has also backed this technology to reduce airborne sulfide emissions. In most anaerobic systems, it has been shown that most gaseous emissions occur where the manure is the most concentrated (i.e. the primary holding pond).

In this design, covering the relatively small pit with a plastic cover and mixing the liquid with inexpensive air diffusers in combination with an appropriate Pit Remedy maintenance schedule, the cement pit would act as a year-round digester of sorts. If the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), or strength of the liquid manure, is reduced in the secondary lagoon it would qualify as a facultative or aerobic lagoon. This could be an economical solution to a potentially expensive regulation.

If you would like to learn more about this type of system, just give us a call.

• Update on Colorado's Emission Control "and why it's important to you"

In November 1998, Colorado residents passed a referendum concerning odor emitted from lagoons associated with swine units. As the legislation came down through the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division (CAPCD), it stated that anaerobic lagoon treatment systems had to be covered. The industry argued that covering lagoons with permeable covers would cause more problems then it would solve. It also didn’t address odors from the buildings.

Finally, a panel was chosen to determine how to measure odor and secondly, to determine the acceptable odor standard. Odor Threshold readings were chosen as the means to measure odor. An 80% comparable effectiveness of a covered lagoon was chosen as the standard.

Well, we have more good news to report: All 14 lagoon systems on maintenance with Pit Remedy passed Colorado’s tough odor regulation and were found in compliance. We couldn’t be more pleased. In each case, Pit Remedy accelerated the digestion of solids and activity in the lagoons increased dramatically. The pits in the building were cleaned out and flies haven’t been a problem. That’s the kind of news we like to pass on!

Small settling pit covered with cement slats may offer cost effective solution.

All  lagoon systems on maintenance passed Colorado's tough odor regulation.