The approval process for a special use permit for a horse manure composting business just over the county line in Elbert County has hit another snag.Colorado Manure Hauling is just barely in El Paso County. The first 10 feet of the property ó located on County Road 74-82, which runs between Elbert Road and Peyton Highway ó is in El Paso County. The remainder of the 55-acre site is in Elbert County.Jonathan Whetstine and his father, Roger, applied to the Elbert County Planning Commission for a permit to operate their business, Colorado Manure Haulers. They also applied for a well permit from the Groundwater Commission of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The Elbert County Planning Commission has now decided to wait until the well permit application has been decided.However, Colorado Manure Haulers does not have to wait for any permit to continue its operations. In Elbert County, once a person has started the process to obtain a special use permit for a business, that person can operate the business during the approval process. If the permit is denied, then the person has to cease business operations.In a letter to the editor in the November 2020 issue of ìThe New Falcon Herald,î Janice McCall of Peyton expressed concern about the amount of water that would be required for the composting operation. She is one of the parties contesting the Whetstine’s well application. ìWe feel it (the composting operation) is a wasteful use of water resources,î McCall said in a follow-up phone call. However, Whetstine said McCall has to prove that approval of the well would be harmful.As part of the special permit application with Elbert County, a community meeting was held last September, with about 50 of Whetstine’s neighbors attending the two-hour meeting. Greg Laudenslager, a county planner with Elbert County, also attended the meeting. He said that a two-year limit could be one of the conditions for the special use permit application.Roger Whetstine said the well permit is for irrigation, stock watering and commercial use purposes for the farm. Because Whetstineís neighbors, including McCall, have contested the well permit, a hearing before the Colorado Ground Water Commission was held April 20. As of the publication date of ìThe New Falcon Herald,î a decision had not been made.The composting process was explained in the October issue of the NFH. The manure is piled in long rows, and each row is covered with a blue tarp. Before the composting process is complete, each row is turned over at least 15 times. The compost row is uncovered and turned over by a tractor-drawn machine that exposes it to the air and also allows it to be moistened by water sweetened with molasses. The temperature and carbon content of the compost row is checked before and after turning.Jonathan Whetstine said he maintains a temperature of 130 to 150 degrees to kill weeds and harmful pathogens. He said there are no foods or bio solids in the process. The compost is tested for harmful pathogens, and the finished project is sent out to a lab for testing.
