Organic Materials Management

Municipal Green and Dairy Manure: Site Tour and Outreach Event

On Friday October 15, 2004, Sustainable Conservation in collaboration with the U.S. EPA Region 9, Merced County Public Works, and the California Integrated Waste Management Board, hosted a tour of the Merced composting facility and a presentation of preliminary results. The following photographs and related contacts are provided for topical information related to the study.

Highway 59 Compost Facility.

Allen Dusault
Senior Project Manager
Sustainable Conservation
(415) 977-0380 ext. 303

California Integrated Waste Management Board
Member Michael Paparian at left.

Tour participants discussing the merits of co-composting. The co-compost pile on the left is curing and will be sold to growers in the community.

Discussing EPAs interest in dairy manure management in the San Joaquin Valley.

James Liebman
U.S. EPA, Region IX
(415) 947-4241

An overview of the co-composting process.

Jerry Lawrie
Integrated Waste Program Manager
Merced County Public Works
(209) 385-7388

Providing motivational insight into the growing market for compost in California's agricultural industry.

Matt Cotton, Principal
Integrated Waste Management Consulting
(530) 265-4560

Presenting the projects economic feasibility.

Kristen Hughes, Project Manager
Sustainable Conservation
(415) 977-0380 ext. 308

Describing the Board's regulatory compliance requirements for agricultural material composting operations.

Robert Holmes
Senior IWM Specialist, CIWMB
(916) 341-6376

An analysis of co-compost and market opportunities for manure/green waste co-compost in the central valley.

Joe Mullinax
Denele Agri-Link Agricultural Laboratories (209) 634-9055

Participants were pleased to learn that up to 12,500 cubic yards of green material could, at any one time, be co-composted with dairy manure on farm. This requires the dairy operator to file an Enforcement Agency Notification with the county. The operation would be subject to minimum operating standards and quarterly inspections.