After more than 18 months dealing with opposing neighbors and waiting on government permits, an Elbert County horse manure composting business has moved to a different location and reapplied for permits.Colorado Manure Haulers was located at a temporary site on County Road 74-82, which runs between Elbert Road and Peyton Highway. While most of the business was in Elbert County, the first 10 feet of the 55-acre property was in El Paso County. About 3 acres of the property was used for a trial composting operation.ìIt was never our intent to stay there,î said Roger Whetstine, who, along with his son, Jonathan, operate the business. îThis was going to be a trial spot. We need 40 acres for composting.î He said the business has recently closed on property at the intersection of County Road 166 and Kiowa-Bennett Road in Elbert County.As reported in the October 2020 issue of The New Falcon Herald, about 50 of Whetstine’s neighbors met at the County Road 74-82 location for a community meeting on Sept. 16, 2020. The meeting was held in conjunction with a pending application for a special use permit from Elbert County. Several of the neighbors were extremely vocal in their opposition to the composting operation.In Elbert County, once a person has started the process to obtain a special use permit, that person can operate the business during the approval process. If the application is denied, they have to cease operations.Whetstine said his neighbors slowed the process but did not accomplish their purpose when they lost in their opposition to a well permit.Later, according to the July 2021 issue of the NFH, the Whetstines applied for a well permit from the Colorado Groundwater Commission. Elbert County elected to wait until the well permit was granted before acting on the application for a special use permit.Whetstine said he has had to start the application process all over again, and added that Elbert County has hired new employees who will be dealing with the special use permit application process.The composting process was explained in the October 2020 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 allows it to be moistened by water sweetened with molasses. The temperature and carbon content of the compost row is checked before and after the turning.
