Piggery effluent polluting stream
Waikato Regional Council has sought an interim Enforcement Order from the Environment Court to stop piggery effluent from entering a waterway north of Te Aroha.
The Clean Green Effluent Company says its multi-award winning system leads the way in effluent technology.
This simple but effective automated distribution system has a minimal footprint and needs no large ponds, it says.
The system starts with a patented Weeping Wall encased in a concrete lined bunker; the Weeping Wall removes the solids and allows the liquid to flow into a pump chamber.
Green water is then stored for recycling. Outside yards can then be automatically cleaned using floodwash or backing gate nozzles, effectively cleaning the yards without the use of fresh water; this reduces the water take from the typical 50-70L/cow to 20-25L/cow.
Reducing water consumption has a two-fold effect, the company says. “Firstly, it reduces the cost of freshwater extraction and filtration; secondly, it reduces the amount of effluent to be dispersed to land.”
The Clean Green system allows liquid to be dispersed over large areas at the low rate of 0.25mm application depth. Effluent can be dispersed safely most days of the year.
“As we can disperse effluent year-round at low application depths, there is no nitrogen leaching and the pasture retains all nutrients provided, thus increasing pasture growth by up to 35%.”
No large ponds are required due to the 0.25mm application depth, so storage requirement is minimal.
The company says its system requires as little as two 30,000L water tanks to provide storage for greenwash and effluent dispersed.
“The advantage of the water tanks is they are guaranteed not to leak and have no rainwater catchment. Rainwater catchment in large ponds equates to doubling the amount of effluent being stored and having to be dispersed by pump to land.
The Weeping Walls are designed to retain 12 months of solids. Removal of solids is done with a digger and chuck wagon. The solids retained in the system retain 100% of the organic nitrogen and a large percentage of the liquid nitrogen. This dry matter then becomes a slow release fertiliser suitable for crop planting.
“This cost effective system can be adapted to existing sheds or installed on new conversions. Remedial work on large leaking ponds and non complying systems can be cost-effectively remedied by replacing with a complete Clean Green effluent system.”
Third-year student Cady Burns has won the Waikato Regional Council Prize in Water Science for 2024.
The Rural Change programme, providing free private mental health professional sessions to the rural industry, is set to continue its next chapter within Rural Support Trust from 1 July 2024.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive Sam McIvor will step down in July.
A new report shows farm employers across the dairy, sheep and beef, and arable sectors have continued to invest strongly in one of their greatest assets – their staff.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird…
OPINION: Synlait's financial woes won’t be going away anytime soon.