Lagoon and Earthen Manure Storage Basin Closure - Part 1

Leslie Johnson, Amy Schmidt, Charles Shapiro Author

05/18/2018 Added

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Estimating the volume, nutrients, and land application needs of accumulated effluent and biosolids.

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[00:00:00.429](soft music)
[00:00:02.200]This video is the first in a two part series
[00:00:04.480]focused on planning and conducting the closure
[00:00:06.940]of a lagoon or earthen manure storage basin.
[00:00:09.490]In this first video, we focus on the planning process.
[00:00:11.999]Lagoons, earthen manure storage basins, and settling ponds
[00:00:16.350]have been used to store and treat
[00:00:17.700]livestock manure for many years.
[00:00:19.647]When a farmer decides to cease operation
[00:00:22.210]of a livestock production system,
[00:00:23.658]earthen manure storage structures must be closed properly
[00:00:27.130]to product ground and surface waters.
[00:00:29.489]The closure process should be
[00:00:31.710]carefully planned and conducted
[00:00:33.360]to minimize environmental risk
[00:00:35.320]and to meet any state and local regulatory requirements.
[00:00:38.042]It is recommended that you consult
[00:00:40.630]with the regulatory agencies in your state
[00:00:42.640]prior to initiating closure of a manure storage
[00:00:45.490]to identify any state-specific requirements.
[00:00:48.481]The goals during closure of a lagoon
[00:00:50.880]or earthen manure storage should be to one,
[00:00:53.285]utilize stored nutrients such that
[00:00:55.950]their agronomic value is maximized
[00:00:58.280]while ensuring minimal risk to the environment, and two,
[00:01:02.340]permanently eliminate the storage structure
[00:01:04.420]or convert it to a pond.
[00:01:06.550]After watching this video, viewers should understand
[00:01:08.924]the benefits of planning for
[00:01:10.980]utilization of stored nutrients,
[00:01:12.552]methods for estimating the volume of contents in a storage,
[00:01:16.120]how to collect and submit samples
[00:01:18.920]of effluent, slurry, and or sludge for laboratory analysis,
[00:01:22.196]how to interpret a nutrient analysis report
[00:01:25.200]and identify relevant information,
[00:01:27.268]methods to determine the value of stored nutrients,
[00:01:29.998]and how to choose the locations and methods
[00:01:32.630]for application of storage contents.
[00:01:34.895]There are two benefits from adequately planning
[00:01:39.200]to use the nutrients that are in the lagoon sludge.
[00:01:42.415]Those two important advantages are
[00:01:45.980]to increase the fertilizer replacement value
[00:01:48.522]and to reduce any offsite impacts.
[00:01:52.230]What we wanna do is balance the amount of sludge
[00:01:57.150]that we have available with the land that is available
[00:02:02.050]to have that sludge to be applied to.
[00:02:04.690]In order to do that, we need to do some calculations
[00:02:07.350]about how much sludge is produced,
[00:02:09.188]the amount of land we have, and then we have to know
[00:02:12.525]the concentration of nutrients in the sludge,
[00:02:16.110]and also the value of the land in terms of its productivity
[00:02:21.618]and its status for various nutrients.
[00:02:25.321]To determine the amount of land needed
[00:02:27.840]to apply your sludge at an agronomic rate,
[00:02:30.550]you need to know not only the nutrient analysis
[00:02:33.210]of that sludge, but also the volume
[00:02:35.160]of sludge in your storage.
[00:02:36.900]Lagoon sludge can be estimated in a number of ways,
[00:02:39.390]from very simple to high tech.
[00:02:40.721]Regardless of the method, the full depth
[00:02:43.870]of the lagoon must be known.
[00:02:45.467]Most of the time, this information can be found
[00:02:47.960]in your design plan, nutrient management plan,
[00:02:49.895]or your permit along with staged storage levels.
[00:02:52.879]Once you know the full depth of the pond,
[00:02:55.640]you can determine the volume of liquid and sludge combined.
[00:02:58.546]Next, you'll need to determine the depth of the liquid.
[00:03:01.810]One simple method for measuring the liquid volume
[00:03:05.280]in your lagoon storage is to use a fishing pole
[00:03:07.880]with a bobber and a lead weight.
[00:03:10.020]Put the lead weight at the bottom of your fishing line
[00:03:12.790]and then a bobber about to the depth
[00:03:14.760]where you think that liquid might be.
[00:03:17.120]Cast out over the pond and when the liquid depth
[00:03:19.760]is just exactly the same as the weight,
[00:03:22.419]the weight will sit on the bottom,
[00:03:24.447]leaving the bobber to tip on its side.
[00:03:28.410]I like to put the red side down so that I know
[00:03:30.520]if the red is showing that the weight
[00:03:32.890]is on the bottom of the pond.
[00:03:35.365]If the weight's not on the bottom of the pond,
[00:03:37.586]the bobber will stay upright and the white area will show.
[00:03:41.205]You wanna adjust your bobber to the point
[00:03:43.620]where the weight just hits the bottom so that then,
[00:03:46.670]you can measure the bobber for the distance
[00:03:49.700]from the bobber to the weight and that will be
[00:03:51.420]the liquid depth at that particular point in the pond.
[00:03:55.180]Repeat for many points across the pond,
[00:03:57.510]maybe even making a rough map.
[00:03:59.560]You'll likely find that the water depth
[00:04:01.300]is not equal across the pond.
[00:04:03.720]Based on these measurements, you can calculate
[00:04:05.840]the volume of liquid from that average.
[00:04:07.766]Subtract the volume of liquid from the full volume
[00:04:10.469]of the pond with both the sludge and the liquid
[00:04:13.220]to determine the volume of the sludge.
[00:04:15.810]A much higher tech way of estimating the volume of sludge
[00:04:18.540]is to use a boat and sonar system,
[00:04:20.780]similar to a depth finder used for fishing.
[00:04:23.550]This method requires a person in the boat,
[00:04:25.530]and therefore safety gear, including a life preserver.
[00:04:28.618]Additionally, this method commands
[00:04:31.240]more expensive equipment and must be calibrated.
[00:04:33.469]However, it results in a much more accurate estimation
[00:04:36.900]than the bobber and fishing pole method.
[00:04:39.390]Along with estimating the volumes
[00:04:40.920]of sludge and effluent in the storage,
[00:04:43.190]it's also important to determine
[00:04:44.590]the concentration of nutrients in each of these products.
[00:04:47.462]Once the volume of each component
[00:04:49.480]and the concentrations of nutrients
[00:04:51.150]in each component are known,
[00:04:52.600]the total quantities of nutrients can be calculated
[00:04:54.793]and used to develop a land application plan.
[00:04:57.745]While there are published references available
[00:05:00.420]that list estimated nutrient concentrations
[00:05:02.670]for lagoon sludge, effluent, and slurry
[00:05:04.570]from various livestock species,
[00:05:06.429]the most accurate estimate of nutrient concentration
[00:05:09.139]is obtained by collecting samples
[00:05:11.530]from the actual storage basin
[00:05:13.270]and having them analyzed at a laboratory.
[00:05:15.940]If a lagoon or storage basin will be agitated
[00:05:18.830]to remove liquid and sludge simultaneously,
[00:05:20.823]a sample can be collected once agitation
[00:05:23.840]has been taking place for several hours
[00:05:25.760]or even a couple of days to ensure that a well mixed
[00:05:28.363]and representative sample is obtained.
[00:05:31.070]If the effluent will be pumped
[00:05:32.590]and the sludge removed separately,
[00:05:34.410]the liquid and sludge will need to be sampled independently.
[00:05:37.492]A long handled pole with a small sampling container
[00:05:40.410]on the end can be used to collect liquid samples
[00:05:42.810]at multiple locations around the lagoon.
[00:05:45.221]These samples should be combined in a bucket
[00:05:47.570]and then a single bottle filled for submission to the lab.
[00:05:50.687]When sampling effluent, it is important to avoid
[00:05:53.580]sampling too close to the edge of the basin
[00:05:55.570]where floating or stirred solids could enter the sample,
[00:05:58.430]as these could affect test results.
[00:06:00.631]Sludge will likely need to be collected
[00:06:03.270]during the sludge removal process,
[00:06:05.130]since few methods exist for collecting this material
[00:06:07.308]while it is still in the storage structure.
[00:06:10.500]Multiple samples should be collected and combined
[00:06:12.960]to create a composite sample for submission to a laboratory.
[00:06:16.326]While initial land application activities
[00:06:19.210]may be conducted without the nutrient analysis completed,
[00:06:21.782]results will typically be available within a few days
[00:06:24.911]and adjustments to application rates can then be made
[00:06:27.356]for the remaining volume of sludge.
[00:06:29.980]Once samples have been collected, they should be submitted
[00:06:32.730]to a laboratory for analysis right away
[00:06:34.720]to ensure the most accurate results are returned
[00:06:37.210]and to assist with planning of pumping
[00:06:39.130]and land application activities.
[00:06:41.438]Fresh or frozen samples will provide accurate results,
[00:06:44.404]but before freezing, make sure there's enough room
[00:06:47.070]in the bottle for the liquid to expand when frozen.
[00:06:49.309]If a sample will be shipped to a lab, you'll want to be sure
[00:06:52.021]to package it well to prevent any leakage.
[00:06:54.656]Wrap duct tape around the lid, place the bottle
[00:06:57.350]inside a plastic zipper bag, and pack absorbent material
[00:07:00.296]around it in the shipping box.
[00:07:02.490]Don't forget to place the sample submission form
[00:07:04.680]in the box so the lab knows what to do
[00:07:06.670]with the sample when it arrives.
[00:07:08.329]These submission forms should be available
[00:07:10.740]from any laboratory to which you submit your sample.
[00:07:13.850]Typically, you will need to indicate
[00:07:15.430]your name and contact information,
[00:07:17.040]where the results should be sent,
[00:07:18.720]what tests you are requesting,
[00:07:20.090]and what type of sample is being submitted.
[00:07:22.880]Once we have the information from sampling
[00:07:25.233]the sludge and the soil, it's time to do some calculations.
[00:07:30.235]The University of Nebraska has several tools
[00:07:34.490]that are useful to making these calculations.
[00:07:37.048]Other states, agronimous, various agencies
[00:07:40.676]have similar tools.
[00:07:42.610]I'll be presenting the Nebraska tools,
[00:07:44.610]because that's what we're familiar with, but there are
[00:07:47.650]a lot of places and ways to make these calculations.
[00:07:50.719]The sludge at the bottom of a lagoon is not manure,
[00:07:54.243]but the principles of making the calculations are the same,
[00:07:58.861]even though the details of the sludge material
[00:08:02.380]are a little bit different than manure.
[00:08:04.843]So what we have is a spreadsheet.
[00:08:07.083]When you have all your data together,
[00:08:10.323]you can fill in the spreadsheet with the numbers.
[00:08:13.625]In this case, for this presentation,
[00:08:16.345]I am gonna use some sludge from the Haskell Ag Lab.
[00:08:20.300]We have Swine Lagoon that we are in the process
[00:08:23.130]of closing down, and so we do have some actual numbers.
[00:08:26.449]On the screen under sludge is the numbers we have taken
[00:08:32.500]from that area and if you compare
[00:08:34.970]to what our book values are for just a general swine slurry,
[00:08:38.447]you can see that the organic nitrogen
[00:08:41.370]is much higher in the sludge.
[00:08:43.350]The phosphorus is much higher and the potassium
[00:08:46.560]is a little bit lower, so we have to use those numbers,
[00:08:48.803]and that makes it a little bit different in terms of
[00:08:52.390]the output and what we calculate as our application rate.
[00:08:57.610]The soil that we were going to put this material on
[00:09:00.810]happened to be fairly fertile and so, in our analysis
[00:09:04.261]of the soil we had fairly high organic matter,
[00:09:08.120]our phosphorous levels were high,
[00:09:10.330]our potassium levels were high,
[00:09:12.411]and compared to the critical level,
[00:09:14.610]the level which we don't recommend, fertilizer,
[00:09:17.744]both phosphorous and potassium were
[00:09:20.360]higher than those critical levels.
[00:09:22.070]So if this was a university recommendation,
[00:09:24.832]we would probably just recommend some nitrogen.
[00:09:29.525]Now, because a lot of producers will have fields
[00:09:33.360]that are at these kind of fertility levels,
[00:09:36.585]unless you have a high-risk situation
[00:09:39.626]where there's a lot of erosion, you can use crop removal
[00:09:43.920]to come up with a plan, and so, on the screen,
[00:09:46.820]we have the pounds of phosphorous and potassium and sulfur
[00:09:50.702]that would be removed in 175 bushels of corn crop,
[00:09:55.200]so we could use those numbers as well.
[00:09:57.550]So then, once we have these numbers,
[00:09:59.580]we put 'em in the spreadsheet and make our calculations.
[00:10:04.010]The one point that I wanna make about the sludge
[00:10:07.305]that is maybe unknown or different than with manure
[00:10:11.618]is that we don't know how fast that organic nitrogen
[00:10:15.750]comes out of the organic nitrogen.
[00:10:19.593]In our analysis of the organic nitrogen,
[00:10:23.076]it's 38 there, so there's a fair amount of organic nitrogen
[00:10:28.586]that we have to account for.
[00:10:31.930]Normally, we would account for about 25 to 30 percent,
[00:10:36.600]so in field studies that I have seen in the literature,
[00:10:40.329]the sludge comes out about, in the general ball park,
[00:10:44.910]of some of the manures.
[00:10:46.230]What I found was, over three years,
[00:10:48.190]there's about 35 to 40 percent availability,
[00:10:51.050]so you could use that number in calculating
[00:10:53.640]how much nitrogen comes available in the first few years.
[00:10:57.729]What I did with the spreadsheet is come up with
[00:11:02.140]different levels of nutrient needs.
[00:11:05.350]So, not using the soil test, but just assuming
[00:11:08.600]175 bushel yield and putting down what I would consider
[00:11:13.570]a high rate of nutrients for a very poorly fertilized soil,
[00:11:17.917]we would have a lot more nutrients
[00:11:20.910]that we can account for and give value to.
[00:11:23.570]If we just looked at the crop removal
[00:11:26.010]where I have a lower amount of
[00:11:28.090]phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, and zinc,
[00:11:31.000]that would be what most people would probably wanna use,
[00:11:34.181]where they didn't have a lot of deficient sites.
[00:11:36.866]A farmer who is actually buying sludge
[00:11:40.102]would probably make the case that they only wanna pay for
[00:11:43.985]the amount of nutrients that are
[00:11:46.510]in their nutrient recommendation and so,
[00:11:48.670]that farmer would say, "Well, I really only wanna pay
[00:11:51.280]for 135 pounds and I don't need
[00:11:53.309]the phosphorous, potassium, and sulfur."
[00:11:56.360]And so that is where the bargaining comes in
[00:11:58.960]between the seller and the buyer of these kind of materials.
[00:12:03.789]We also have a part of the spreadsheet
[00:12:06.940]where you can put the increased value of that material
[00:12:12.732]in terms of increasing yield and then give a credit
[00:12:16.470]for how much you wanna value the price of corn.
[00:12:20.295]We know that adding organic material to a field
[00:12:23.480]does help productivity and so, we have to make
[00:12:27.100]some estimates at how much yield would be increased.
[00:12:30.630]What I have on the screen would be for the case
[00:12:32.800]of the very deficient soil.
[00:12:34.589]So over four years, that adds about 70 dollars
[00:12:37.696]just because of the yield increase.
[00:12:41.033]If we summarize going through the spreadsheet
[00:12:44.574]and I'm not gonna spend time on all the details,
[00:12:47.762]but what's important is to look at
[00:12:51.150]those four different strategies,
[00:12:53.040]each of those columns says different numbers,
[00:12:55.670]and we're only valuing the nutrients
[00:12:58.676]that will affect the crop, so if we take the extremes
[00:13:03.431]from the actual soil and the test values,
[00:13:06.910]the university recommendations on the right,
[00:13:09.540]that 167 dollars per acre is due to the nitrogen.
[00:13:14.080]We're not crediting any of the phosphorous or potassium,
[00:13:17.276]but if you look at the column on the left,
[00:13:19.690]the low nutrient levels, there we're crediting
[00:13:22.150]a lot of the nutrients, because they're needed.
[00:13:25.370]So that difference between 473 and 167 is a very big number
[00:13:31.526]and if we look at it in terms of
[00:13:33.658]actual sludge in thousands of gallons,
[00:13:37.871]the price per thousand gallons changes as well.
[00:13:42.190]So it's economically better, of course,
[00:13:46.240]to apply where you need more of the nutrients.
[00:13:48.940]I also have the actual rate that we calculated we needed
[00:13:52.897]to fulfill the nitrogen needs.
[00:13:57.610]So you can see there, there's a big range from 2.8 to 13.3.
[00:14:03.388]The phosphorous only recommendation, that 2.8,
[00:14:07.178]only applies the amount of phosphorus
[00:14:09.970]needed in that removal basis and so it's very valuable
[00:14:13.661]on a per thousand gallon basis.
[00:14:17.570]The problem with that one is you'll use about
[00:14:20.610]one fourth the amount of material per acre,
[00:14:23.370]so you would have to have almost four times more acres
[00:14:26.133]to spread your whole pile of sludge.
[00:14:32.785]Your case is gonna be unique and we can't
[00:14:36.400]give you recommendations for a specific situation.
[00:14:40.070]What we need to remember is we need to calculate
[00:14:42.810]how much sludge we have, how much land we have,
[00:14:46.269]and the various concentrations in both,
[00:14:49.256]and then we can come up with a plan
[00:14:51.970]that is economic and environmentally sound.
[00:14:57.340]There are two more common options
[00:14:59.130]for sludge and effluent removal from a lagoon.
[00:15:01.700]The first option is to de-water the lagoon
[00:15:03.850]as much as possible through an irrigation
[00:15:05.760]or drag hose system, leaving all of the
[00:15:07.780]settled sludge in the bottom of the storage.
[00:15:09.930]This option requires access to irrigation
[00:15:12.321]or drag hose system and then handling
[00:15:15.210]of larger volumes of sludge.
[00:15:17.058]The other way is to agitate the storage
[00:15:18.866]with the intention of getting as much sludge
[00:15:21.130]into suspension as possible.
[00:15:22.686]The agitated mixture of effluent and sludge
[00:15:25.630]can then be pumped and applied to crop land
[00:15:27.570]through a drag hose system or tank style spreader.
[00:15:30.226]Inevitably, there will still be sludge in the storage
[00:15:33.440]once the mixture has been removed,
[00:15:35.360]but the volume will be much less than de-watering
[00:15:37.610]and handling the sludge separately.
[00:15:39.733]Sludge removal for either option will require
[00:15:42.410]an excavator or large loader and a manure spreader
[00:15:45.157]that can handle liquid or slurry manure.
[00:15:47.319]Side slinger style spreaders are likely
[00:15:50.070]to handle manure of this consistency the best.
[00:15:52.489]Once you've determined the amount of nutrients available
[00:15:55.760]in the storage and where they should be land applied,
[00:15:58.300]you're ready to begin the closure process.
[00:16:00.470]Estimate the volume of liquid and or sludge
[00:16:02.630]contained in the storage structure.
[00:16:04.840]Next, collect samples of storage components
[00:16:07.270]and submit them to a laboratory for nutrient analysis.
[00:16:10.470]This information is necessary to accurately plan
[00:16:12.960]for utilization of nutrients on agricultural cropland.
[00:16:16.227]Use the nutrient analysis to calculate
[00:16:19.170]total nutrients available and area of land
[00:16:21.770]needed for manure application.
[00:16:23.806]Next, identify the most appropriate fields
[00:16:26.034]on which to apply effluent, slurry, and or sludge.
[00:16:29.627]And finally, identify the application method or methods
[00:16:33.850]most appropriate for the amount and type of material
[00:16:36.340]to be land applied and determine who can provide
[00:16:39.080]such equipment or services.
[00:16:41.411]Once you've determined the quantities
[00:16:43.250]of nutrients available in the storage
[00:16:45.080]and where they should be land applied,
[00:16:46.406]you're ready to start the closure process.
[00:16:49.111](soft music) Remember, the goals during
[00:16:52.510]closure of a lagoon or earthen manure storage
[00:16:54.950]should be to utilize stored nutrients
[00:16:57.100]such that their agronomic value is maximized
[00:16:59.560]while ensuring minimal risk to the environment
[00:17:01.691]and to permanently eliminate the storage structure
[00:17:04.440]or convert it to a pond.
[00:17:06.023]Join us for the second video in this two part series
[00:17:07.936]where we learn how to complete the closure process
[00:17:10.990]of a lagoon or earthen manure storage basin.
[00:17:13.659](soft music)

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Lagoon and Earthen Manure Storage Basin Closure - Part 1

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