KUNA, Idaho — Every time Boise residents flush a toilet, run a garbage disposal or load the dishwasher, they’re helping keep city water rates lower — and all those solids end up at the city’s 4,225-acre Twenty Mile South Farm.
“These are the solids that you send us down the drain,” said Ben Nydegger, who oversees Boise’s Water Renewal Program.
From the water renewal plant to the farm in Kuna, the waste is put to use one more time.
WATCH | Get a tour of the city's Twenty Mile South Farm
“We are using a very rich fertilizer product that is renewable and we thank our citizens every day for discharging some of that to us so that we can reuse that downstream,” Nydegger said.
The city has been recycling wastewater solids into fertilizer at the farm since 1994. According to Nydegger, the program helps keep Boiseans’ bills affordable.
“The revenue we gain here helps offset all of our total water renewal cost for the city so in a nutshell, we’re trying to keep our rates low through this operation,” he said.
If the city didn’t use the fertilizer on the farm, it would cost about $1 million each year to send the waste to a landfill. The program also saves roughly $200,000 annually on fertilizer costs.
“This is extremely unique, we’re not aware of anyone else in the country that does farming to the level that we do it in Boise with the entire operation,” Nydegger said.
City employees handle everything from planting to harvesting corn, alfalfa and wheat. Operating the farm costs about $3 million annually.
“We hope to recoup three to $4 million per year, our all-time record was about $5.25 million,” Nydegger said.
Any profits go toward keeping rates low and reducing landfill waste.
“For us this is our lowest possible cost for our rate payers and fits in with our sustainability goals for the city,” Nydegger said.
Residents can tour the city’s farm to learn more about the process by contacting Boise’s Public Works Department.
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