Residents dig their own compost

By John Loesing Acorn Staff Writer

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has begun a program to make its free compost easier to acquire.

LVMWD produces more than 15,000 cubic yards of compost each year at the Rancho/Las Virgenes Composting Facility in Calabasas. The water district hopes to give away about a third of that amount to the public for landscaping and other uses.

Residents used 2,265 cubic yards of compost in 2002.

Currently, the compost is available from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturdays at the facility on Las Virgenes Road. By calling customer service at (818) 251-2200, residents can now make arrangements to pick up the compost on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well. A small pick-up fee will be charged during the weekday periods.

"What we’re trying to do is use the compost in the community," said Marsha Eubanks, LVMWD administrative services officer. "It’s for beneficial use. It’s not going to a landfill or being disposed of."

The compost process begins with tons of wastewater bio-solids that are pumped to Rancho from the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility about four miles away.

Wastewater represents everything that goes down the drain at your home or business. About 97 percent is liquid, which is turned into reclaimed water for irrigation use. The remaining 3 percent is bio-solid.

Some of the bio-solids are injected into the ground inside the confines of the 90-acre Rancho farm. The rest is turned into compost.

For one month, the bio-solids are dried and turned into a mostly solid composition that represents the first stages of compost. The compost is mixed with ground wood chips or other amendment products and transported to a reactor building where the material is baked for the next 14 to 18 days at more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rancho obtains its mixing amendment from Carlyle Consulting of Malibu, which takes about two-thirds of the finished product and markets it to other users.

Now resembling course peat moss, the compost is allowed to cure for another 30 days, during which time workers examine it to make sure it meets all regulatory requirements.

Residents can obtain the compost by bringing their own container to the compost facility at the corner of Las Virgenes Road and Lost Hills Road. Shovels are provided. Residents must also provide proof of residence, such as a water bill.

If the compost is loaded into an open-bed truck, the material must be covered by a tarp.

"I think it’s a creative program," said Ann Dorgelo, LVMWD board president. "I’d like to see it grow larger."

Compost has proven to be an excellent soil additive and can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the landscaping of lawns and gardens.

The water district lists the following benefits of community compost:

•Increases the water-holding capacity of light soils and the soil aeration in heavy soils

•Provides a boost for potting soil

•Provides a slow release of nutrients for better plant growth

•As mulch, it moderates soil temperature and suppresses weed growth

•Covers crusty top soil for better appearance