Abstract
Approximately 1.1 million deer–vehicle collisions occur in the United States each year. The predominant methods of disposing of these carcasses (landfill and burial) have several costly disadvantages, including long travel distances to landfills, increasing landfill restrictions, and lack of viable burial areas. Some states have found static compost windrows to be an easy and cost-effective carcass management technique. This type of composting involves the construction of passively aerated static piles, which do not require the materials turning needed with more traditional composting methods. In this study, deer mortality static compost windrows were monitored for 1 year. Windrows were analyzed for pathogen destruction and the degree to which underlying soil filtered leachate contaminants. In response to high windrow temperatures, indicator pathogens Escherichia coli and Salmonella were reduced by 99.99 % the first sampling day (day 7) and ascarids were deemed non-viable by day 77. Soil filtration of leachate was effective in reducing concentrations of ammonia, chloride, and total organic carbon. Nitrate, a contaminant of particular regulatory concern, had an estimated mass contaminant loss of 2.1 kg/ha, compared to the estimated 9 to 50 kg/ha loss from fertilizer application of common agronomic crops. Results of this study indicate that with properly constructed static compost windrows, (1) high temperatures effectively destroy indicator pathogens; (2) the natural filtration of leachate through soil reduces deer mortality contaminant concentrations; and (3) the low volume of leachate (i.e., two percent of the precipitation that fell on windrows) results in nominal losses of nitrate and other contaminants.
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Acknowledgments
The authors extend their appreciation to several individuals who provided insights and labor essential for this report. Lewis Woodson helped with windrow construction and sample collection. Ryan MacDonald, Thomas Payne and his VDOT crew, and Mike Powell also helped construct windrows and plots. Jean Bonhotal, Greg Evanylo, Mike Fitch, Gary Flory, Shabbir Hossain, Jim Gillespie, Roy Mills, and Ed Wallingford provided helpful insights and information for the study. Appreciation is also extended to Kay Carlson (VMRCVM) for her help and advice and Dr. David Lindsay (VMRCVM) for his guidance on the toxocara isolation protocol. The report greatly benefited from Robert Perry’s graphics and his patience responding to our numerous changes. The authors also appreciate the revisions and comments from the technical review panel (David Wilson, Jimmy White, and Mike Fitch) and extend thanks to Ed Wallingford, Amy O’Leary, Brian Diefenderfer, and Tracey Harmon for their review of the report and to Linda Evans for editing.
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Donaldson, B.M., Smith, G.P., Kweon, YJ. et al. An Analysis of Leachate Constituents and Pathogen Destruction in Deer Mortality Static Windrow Composting. Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1431 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1431-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1431-y