Turning Wastewater into a Resource: An Opportunity for Alberta Dairy Farmers
Dr. Audrey Murray, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is leading an exciting new project that could help dairy farmers in Alberta manage water. Her goal is to get the most out of every drop. The idea is simple but powerful. By running lagoon wastewater through a specially designed wetland system, it can be naturally filtered, retained on-farm and reused during the growing season. This kind of nature-based solution has been used in other parts of the world, is being thought of more in Canada but this is a first for Canadian dairy farms. Dr. Murray believes it could be a game-changer for producers looking to stretch their water supply and reduce environmental impact in a water constrained area like Southern Alberta.
Dr. Murray told Small Farm Canada recently that she is looking for a volunteer dairy farmer in Alberta who’s willing to try this system on their farm. But before anything is built on-farm, she is doing her homework. At the Harrington Research Farm in Prince Edward Island, Dr. Murray is building small-scale versions of the system using mesocosms - essentially mini wetlands - as well as wastewater from local dairy farms. These eighteen mesocosms will help her figure out wetland design and treatment parameters for the wastewater and what a scaled-up system might cost to build and maintain.
If you’re a dairy farmer in Southern Alberta and are interested in being part of this innovative project, now’s the time to get involved. Please contact Dr. Audrey Murray through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at: aafc.info.aac@agr.gc.ca.
What does an Alberta dairy farm and a Prince Edward Island research scientist have in common? They both want to get moving on efficient water use. It’s all part of a new 5-year research project with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research Scientist, Dr. Audrey Murray, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta and the University of Waterloo in Ontario. The project is funded by Alberta Innovates and Results Driven Agricultural Research.
Source: AAFC
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