Ojai Biodigester progress

A public meeting on February 27, 2012  provided an update on the biodigester feasibility study due for completion this month.

The Ventura County Watershed Protection District (District), at the request of the Ventura River Watershed Council and in cooperation with local community organizations, served as the project manager of a State grant-funded feasibility study exploring an innovative solution. The concept includes using the horse waste to create energy and a useful soil amendment byproduct by means of a “Bio-Digester”. A “Bio-Digester” uses a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen; also known as anaerobic digestion. This process results in a digested material that can be used for farming and biogas that can be converted to energy. This approach provides benefits beyond removing contaminants from the watershed – including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating a local sustainable energy source, and reducing the amount of organic materials hauled to landfills.

More info:  venturawatershed.org/new

On this blog: http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/manure

Regulatory hurdles

Seems like no good deed goes unpunished... Ojai's manure solutions should take heed.

This popped up on the TakePart.com blog...



The LA Times reports A stink in Central California over converting cow manure to electricity - Air-quality rules in the region leave dairy farmers facing costly changes to generators used to burn methane to produce power. Some have put their renewable-energy plans on hold.

Manure Movers

Here's another pollution solution for the manure problem...

At the Green Schools Conference in Ojai last weekend, I listened as a farmer described his problem of lack of nitrogen in the soil.

I brought up the irony that while he can't get enough fertilizer, the river is suffering from excess nitrogen. This nutrient problem is partially due to all the horse manure in the valley.

Turns out there is already at least one small operation serving Ojai Valley School and another horse facility.

This seems like a great 'green business' opportunity for someone who is able to match the supply with the demand...

manure solution?

Folks in Ojai have been researching potential solutions to the manure problem.

One big idea is creating marketable products from the waste, and in the process make a big step toward local sustainability. In this case, a BioDigester that would process collected manure and green waste into bioGas for use in vehicles or electricity generation. And the remaining solid waste would provide seed-free nutrients for local agriculture, further offsetting the use of petroleum-based fertilizers in the valley.

The Bio-digestion Plant would provide the following benefits:

• Local option for disposal
• Methane is used directly for energy
• Compost is sterilized
• Nutrients concentrated in liquid fertilizer
• Nutrients removed from stormwater runoff
• Greenhouse gases reduced (less methane released to the air)
• Less truck traffic/ transportation to disposal sites
• Reduced demand for fossil fuel energy
• Reduced demand on landfills
• Creates local jobs
• Creates educational example for energy independence and use of local resources

This is not a cheap project, but a local bioGas generation plant could solve multiple social and economic problems - the 'triple bottom line' of "people, planet, profit"

A UC Davis program has demonstrated the feasibility of the technology in partnership with Onsite Power Systems

more here:




Seems like a big opportunity for a smart investor... Others in Ventura County are already doing this, and winning awards while making money in the process: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/18/toland-road-landfill-making-money-and-energy/

For more information on the Ojai project please contact Bill O'Brien/Phil Sherman 805-658-6611

the manure problem

Horses are a way of life in the Ojai Valley, but the waste they generate has long been recognized as a potential water quality problem. The issue is nutrient-rich manure that is often disposed of adjacent to or sometimes in the creeks throughout the watershed. This elevates nitrogen levels in the water, which leads to excess algae. See previous blog post here.

A preliminary survey was recently conducted to evaluate the scale of the problem. The results were submitted in a memo to the Regional Water Quality Control Board who are currently considering regulatory approaches for the Algae TMDL.

According to the memo, the study was based on information from horse owners, site visits to the main horse locations, and well known horse locations. Based on this survey, there were 62 horses counted within the City limits of Ojai. And valleywide, excluding the upper Ojai Valley, the numbers shown on this map total 792 horses.
The memo further states:

It is believed that considerably more horses could be located with a more detailed survey. A more detailed survey would take many field trips and review of aerial photography. The detailed survey should yield at least twice the number horses shown in this preliminary survey. Many of the horses that are not yet counted will likely be on locations with 1-5 horses. Funding for a detailed survey has yet to be obtained. At this time, the best estimate for total horses in the Ojai Valley (excluding the upper Ojai Valley) is 2000-3000 horses. If each horse has 30 lbs/day of solid waste*, that equates to 30-45 tons/day of horse manure.

*A 1,000 lb horse produces about 31 lbs of feces and 2.4 gallons of urine daily, which totals 51 lbs of waste per day. Pennsylvania State College of Agriculture Sciences study “Horse Stable Manure Management”