Water district elections and water/manure treatment highlight Comanche education program

By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition

April 4, 2002 -- During the Comanche Farm, Ranch and Dairy Day on March 28, Bob Whitney, county Extension agent, and Dr. Saqib Mukhtar, Extension agricultural engineer, presented educational seminars. Whitney discussed ground water conservation districts and the upcoming election on May 4. Mukhtar addressed the topic of waste management for dairies.

The Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District is currently in the process of being formed according to Whitney. "The 77th Legislature created the Middle Trinity GCD in its last session," said Whitney. "Now it is up to the voters in Callahan, Eastland, Erath, Comanche, Hamilton, Bosque, Somervell and Coryell counties to approve the district."

Whitney explained that approval must come from each county and they have two years to do so. "The Legislature started this process September 1, 2001 and it will end August 31, 2003," he said. "Right now there are eight counties in the legislation but Callahan and Hamilton have elected to withdraw. They do not want to participate."

On May 4, Erath and Comanche will have an election allowing voters to decide if they will participate in the Middle Trinity GCD. "Somervell and Bosque are slated to possibly vote on this issue on the 4th," said Whitney. "In addition voters will be asked to approve the tax rate for the GCD. The legislation states that the tax rate for the Middle Trinity GCD can be no more than five cents per $100 dollar valuation."

Finally the voters will be asked to elect two representatives to the GCD board. "Each county that participates in the GCD will have two representatives on the board," explained Whitney. "The minimum number of members on the board is five, so if Comanche is the only county to approve the district we will have to choose three more representatives."

Even though the legislature created a district with eight counties, a district can be made up of only one county. If after the elections only one county has approved the district its formation will move forward.

Following Whitney's update on the status of the Middle Trinity GCD, Dr. Mukhtar addressed participants on manure and waste water production. "Animal waste has a tremendous amount of benefits," stated Mukhtar. "Animal waste has nitrogen in its organic state unlike commercial fertilizers. Organic nitrogen takes its time to mineralize and as it mineralizes it is being utilized by plants."

This utilization by the plants lessens the potential of the nitrogen leaching down into the groundwater explained Mukhtar. He stated that manure made up of large amounts of organic matter will help build the structure of the soil in turn keeping in moisture. In addition, composted manure helps keep carbon in the soil. "The carbon is not being released up into the atmosphere," he said. "Therefore it cannot harm the ozone layer."

All the nutrients needed for crops can be found in manure according to Mukhtar. "Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other micronutrients needed by our crops are all available in manure," he said. "Simply stated, manure can replace the energy intensive, commercially produced fertilizers."

While there are numerous benefits surrounding manure, Mukhtar stressed that if animal waste is not handled properly it can cause some problems. "If the manure is allowed to get into seep-outs it can contaminate the water," he said. "Manure has many forms of nitrogen in it including ammonia. When the ammonia gas is released into the environment it can turn into ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate."

This gas, according to Mukhtar, can settle on the surface of lakes and ponds and cause toxicity. Pathogens in the waste can also cause problems. "Just like human waste, animal waste has pathogens," explained Mukhtar. "But if we know how to manage human waste we should be able to handle the animal waste."

One way to help monitor animal waste is through testing. "It is very important for us, if we are going to have a complete manure management program, to test our lagoons and use multiple samples," he said.

"The TNRCC may only need one sample, but that just doesn't work for a complete manure plan."

Mukhtar stated that the maintenance goals for a lagoon should be a pH of 7. "If your pH goes acidic you will get excessive odors," he said.

He went on to discuss the need to periodically mix the lagoon and remove the sludge that accumulates. "Overall most of the lagoons I have seen in this area have a normal accumulation of sludge which is good, but that does not mean that we leave it as it is," he said.

"The lagoon must be managed so that it won't generate too much sludge. As it fills up it cannot treat the waste properly and becomes a sediment basin."