Dairy farms produce wastewater that includes wash water from cleaning milking equipment and the milk house, but residual milk, protein, water and cleaners do not effectively percolate in the ordinary sewage systems to which they are typically sent. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) along with USDA engineers and scientists - with funding and support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and other state agencies - are testing cost-efficient, vegetative treatment designs that address biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and pollutants of concern (chlorine by-product, phosphorus and nitrogen) generated by smaller dairy operators.
Daryl Forgione, project manager for DCR, says a vegetated treatment area (VTA) "could benefit farmers across the country" as tests results so far show it is effective for treating BOD and suspended solids. In its third year, the pilot program is currently testing a VTA with a bark-mound surface at Great Brook Farm in Carlisle, Massachusetts, that further addresses low levels of nitrogen in milk house wastewater.
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