New Techniques: Not All Washed Up

Mark Middendorf

Most people are probably familiar with the tale of Nessie, the famous sea monster said to be lurking beneath the waters of Loch Ness for more than 70 years. But on the opposite side of the Atlantic, the Chesapeake Bay is home to its own legendary creature, Chessie. Rumored to inhabit the bay, the curiosity and excitement over a possible sighting of Chessie has added to the many reasons tourists visit the Chesapeake Bay every year.

Yet while the story of Chessie may be nothing more than a myth, there is something very real lurking beneath the bay’s sparkling blue water. And, unfortunately, it is nothing anyone would want to see.

For more than 30 years, the bay has struggled to maintain its water quality and improve the natural habitat that is home to several types of plant and animal life. While many factors have contributed to the environmental deterioration of the bay, one of the largest problems has come from the heavily polluted water carried by the more than 150 rivers and streams that drain into the bay. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, along with an abundance of total suspended solids (TSS) like clay and silt, have harmed plants and animals, and disrupted the biology of the aquatic system.

Two Anacostia River tributaries, Glenmont and Northwood, had been selected by the local Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for pilot revegetation projects following initial channel restoration work. The goals were to establish vegetation, and also to build the soil in order to stabilize the banks. This would reduce the amount of TSS washing into the water.
 
Montgomery County DEP began the process of exploring different approaches for a cost-effective, low impact method to build soils and establish native vegetation on eroding stream banks. In nearby Sunshine, Md., Kevin Richardson and Pogo Sherwood were hard at work conducting research that they hoped would help develop high-quality compost better than any current offering on the market. Richardson proposed his vegetation application idea – spraying an organic compost slurry mix with native seed onto the banks of the streams – to Montgomery County DEP, and it was accepted.

Needless to say, this turned into a great opportunity to apply his years of research and experimentation to the Anacostia tributaries’ restoration projects.

“I knew their goal was to revegetate the soil,” Richardson says. “But I also knew that it was about more than just spraying a typical seed and fertilizer mix to get the process going. First, the soil needed to be healthy.”

With a degree in Environmental Science, Richardson always knew how beneficial compost could be in creating healthy soil. But it wasn’t until after college (and while working in Alaska) that he was introduced to the new concept of compost tea – compost that has been turned into a liquid solution so that it can be sprayed.

“I knew that you don’t need chemicals to achieve healthy environments,” Richardson says. “I found out that it’s the presence of beneficial microorganisms in the compost that really makes it tick.”

Following his work in Alaska, Richardson created his own company, Local Solutions, which provides “green” practices such as ecological landscaping, restoration and sustainable energy systems. His favoring of biological answers over chemical answers caught the attention of Sherwood, who operated his own tree care company and was looking to expand the organic side of the business.

“I met Pogo (Sherwood) and he asked me to come work with him,” Richardson says. “He wanted to get Pogo Organics going and our first mission was to develop a really efficient way to brew and store this compost tea.”

The partnership became a success when the men found a way to make the tea into a fine powder, which extended its shelf life and made it easier to sell and ship. Richardson then began combining various organic materials such as wood mulch, oat flour and enzymatic digested fish (called fish hydrolysate) with the compost tea to create slurry mixes. The next step the men wanted to take was to experiment with hydroseeders and use the machines to apply these organic compost slurry mixes.

Richardson and Sherwood looked to Wolbert & Master, Inc., a local distributor, for help. Ron Ciolfi, a principle at Wolbert & Master, was eager to provide assistance in the form of a FINN T-75 hydroseeder.

“The hydraulically driven mechanical agitation system allows the hydroseeder to handle a wide variety of slurries,” Ciolfi says. “FINN invented the hydroseeder. So I felt confident the T-75 would work well for the guys and their unique application.”

The pair became familiar with the hydroseeder and how it worked, and experimented with spraying their organic compost slurry mixes.
“They were looking for a solution to a problem and I had it,” Richardson says. “I know how important healthy soil is to establishing vegetation. And healthy soil comes from compost. I felt my organic compost slurry mix would be great for this job.”

Montgomery County’s stream restoration projects were an ideal proving ground for Richardson’s innovative technique.

“I took the same hydroseeder that Ron (Ciolfi) had sold to Pogo and used it to apply the organic compost slurry mix to the stream banks,” Richardson explains. “Within two weeks, we began seeing the establishment of vegetation. But more than that, I knew the process was making the soil healthy.”

The process Richardson used was actually quite simple. He utilized the hydroseeder and applied the mix like any other hydroseeding application. The difference was, instead of using a typical seed and fertilizer mix, he used his organic compost slurry mix.
“I used a diagonal installation process. In some places I’d spray a lighter mix, and in other places a heavier mix. But the mix was getting right into the ground, right into the soil.”

Richardson said the hydroseeders achieved spraying distances of as much as 450 feet from the machine, which was important considering the banks were often located in the middle of thick forests.

“Because of the location of the project, we needed to be able to spray the mix from a distance,” Richardson says. “The equipment worked great. I mean, I’m no hydroseeding expert, but that machine did exactly what I needed it to do.”

Another factor that came into play with this project was the environmental sensitivity of the area. Because the material would be sprayed onto the banks, there was the chance that some could accidentally get into the water.

But Richardson’s mix, consisting of all organic materials, posed little threat.

“That was the big thing, the water quality,” Richardson explains. “But we didn’t use any chemicals, so if some of the mix accidentally got into the water, the stream flow quickly diluted the mixture.”

While the application did achieve the initial desired result, which was the establishment of vegetation, the process is still considered experimental.

“It’s in a testing phase at this point,” says Craig Carson of Montgomery County DEP. “We did achieve the immediate goal of establishing vegetation, and based on that, we are interested in using the application on future projects.”

 As for Richardson, his work with the county and Pogo Organics may be complete, but his mission is far from over. His goal is to raise awareness and show that something can be done to maintain and improve the environment.

“With the right equipment and products, we can create real solutions to environmental problems,” Richardson says. “It can be done.”