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Sizing And Safety Of Dairy Effluent Ponds

William Toll, Dairy Effluent Extension Officer at DPI Ellinbank, believes there is a misconception about sizing dairy effluent ponds.

By Department of Primary Industries - 14th November 2005 - Back to News

Many people believe that the size of dairy effluent ponds is directly related to the herd size, ‘the bigger the herd, the bigger the pond’. However, this is generally not the case.

The amount of water generated during the milking and yard cleaning is one of the main factors that determines the volume requirement of an effluent storage system. This includes, water utilised in vat washing, plant rinses, pit and platform washing, cup spraying, teat spraying and yard washing as well as rainfall on the yard and pond area.

These calculations need to be considered if these areas do not have rain water diversions. Large catchment surfaces can add unnecessary water to the effluent pond, thus reducing the storage of the pond. It is quite common to see 100 cow farms needing larger effluent storage, compared to the 300 – 400 cow operations due to inefficient water use in the dairy and large catchment areas running into the effluent pond.

The key to minimising water consumption in the dairy include; recycling plate cooler water, recycling second pond water for yard washing and installing rainwater diversions off sheds and on solid traps. Adjusting flood-washing volumes to suit actual yard cleaning requirements is another area that helps minimise water use.

With a lot more farmers opting to milk through the winter months it is essential for farmers to minimise dairy effluent and determine storage requirements to avoid problems associated with undersized effluent systems, such as polluting drains and waterways. Weed growth is an indicator of lack of surrounding pond management. Surface crusting on ponds at certain times of the year is acceptable, as this is part of the anaerobic process. However if a crust is always present it is an indicator of undersizing.

Effluent pond safety is another consideration when designing and managing dairy effluent. Effluent ponds can be very deep, with steep internal walls. It may even be difficult to locate the edge of the pond due to excessive weed surface growth. Any machinery or maintenance work on the pond should be conducted under extreme caution. Appropriate fencing and signage should also be erected.

Dairy effluent is a valuable resource, with a high nutrient value, so managing it effectively will enhance soil condition and pasture production.

For further information please contact the Gippsland DPI Nutrient Extension Team at Ellinbank on (03) 5624 2222 or at Maffra on (03) 5147 0800.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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