States of Achievement

lthough the third smallest U.S. state, Connecticut is home to about 450,000 acres of wetlands; Amore than 2,000 lakes and reservoirs; 610 square CT DEEP miles of estuarine waters in ; and 6,000 miles of streams and rivers. The extensive list of water bodies includes the Blackberry River, a major tributary of the , which flows into Long Island Sound. The Blackberry River watershed is home to numerous dairy farms, with each cow producing on average 100 pounds of manure every day. Consequently, manure has been a source of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, particularly excess nutrients, in the Blackberry. The impact is also felt downstream in the Housatonic, which is affected by algae mats, low dissolved oxygen The Blackberry River, seen here in the foreground as it winds The roofed composting complex at Laurelbrook Farm is levels, and eutrophication—a pattern of issues that stem through Laurelbrook Farm, originates in Norfolk, Connecticut, part of an innovative manure management process that has from an overabundance of phosphorus and nitrogen. and travels 47 miles, draining a watershed of small towns, significantly reduced the potential for nutrients in the runoff As a result, when the Canaan Valley Agricultural forests, and farmland before connecting to the Housatonic River. impacting the Blackberry. Cooperative (CVAC), a group of seven livestock farmers in the Blackberry watershed, sought to find solutions for managing surplus manure, the CVAC found no shortage by the Blackberry, making direct deposit of agricultural The result—a dramatic drop in the potential for nutrients of partners. With support from organizations such as the runoff into the river inevitable. The goal, however, was in the runoff from the farm’s fields. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental to make that runoff less of an environmental threat. To Freund Farm has achieved the same result in a different Protection (CT DEEP), U.S. EPA, the Natural Resources do so, the farm installed a roofed four-building complex way. Its process employs an anaerobic digester, a manure Conservation Service, the CT DEEP to store and compost manure and solids separation system, and composting, with the final Cooperative Extension System, and manure solids. Manure separation step being to use the composted solids to create a patented the Eastern Connecticut Resource into liquid and solid portions occurs product called CowPots—organic, biodegradable pots Conservation and Development before storage in the composting that can be used for planting instead of plastic pots. The Area—and with federal funding facility, using a solids separator production of CowPots has reduced the amount of manure obtained through a Clean Water and newly installed nutrient on the farm, created a new revenue stream, and generated Act Section 319(h) grant—two removal system that concentrates well deserved attention. The unique business has been East Canaan CVAC members, nutrients in the solid portion. featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” CNN, Laurelbrook Farm and Freund The roof protects the solids from and other programs. Farm, implemented manure Freund Farm uses its nutrient-rich manure to runoff-inducing rain, and the farm Although the Blackberry River is still on Connecticut’s management practices to improve create its popular CowPots, which are used as ultimately sells the composted solids 303(d) list due to the presence of PCBs, these manure water quality in the Blackberry seed-starter pots for flowers and vegetables. to consumers as a nutrient-enriched management projects have led to a significant reduction River. Once planted in the ground with the growing topsoil and garden mix. As for the in NPS pollution in the river. In this story, it seems The need was most acute at plant, CowPots dissolve within four weeks but nutrient-reduced liquid portion, it’s everybody’s a winner, with the Blackberry the biggest Laurelbrook Farm, which is divided continue to feed the plant. applied as fertilizer on cropland. winner of all.