Cayuga County Environmental Regional Digester

The Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District (The District) will contract with Eco Technology Solutions (ECOTS) to assist in the design and implementation of a community aboveground mesophilic "hydraulic-mix" digester, which has been proven to have superior performance in over 100 European applications and has not been implemented in the US. This innovative technology reduces the odor associated with the land application of manure and also reduces the nutrient loading to local water bodies by transforming nutrients into soluble forms that are readily used by plants. The facility will be located on 5 acres of an 88 acre parcel of rural land owned by Cayuga County on the outskirts of Auburn in Central New York. This facility will service a minimum of four (4) EQIP eligible producers, providing them with an economic and environmentally friendly waste management option that will provide them with the nutrients they need to grow feed needed to sustain their herd by returning the liquid portion of the digestate to a satellite storage unit to be land applied. The solid portion will be used as an erosion control practice along roadsides with the remainder being sold in bulk to cash croppers and the landscaping industry. The biogas will be collected and converted into electricity that will be sold to three county office buildings to offset the operation and maintenance cost associated with running a community digestion facility. This facility will serve as a demonstration project to prove the success of the technology and act as a model for others to be designed after.