The reasoning behind the selection of location of the facility was

1)

To take advantage of the downhill movement of finished compost to

points of use,
2)

Accessibility to an existing gravel path on the farm, and

3)

Relatively flat terrain to minimize cut and fill costs during construction.

Rick Williams worked with Dr. Ogle from the NRCS to determine three possible
locations for the facility, but allowed the team to decide which site would best suit
his needs. An analysis of each site is below the map.

Site 2

Site 3

Site 1

Figure 2. Potential Site Options

Site 1 is located closer to the house. While water could be diverted from site 1 to
the detention pond that is near the lower garden, the compost facility would be
tucked away. There are a number of farm developments planned for the area, so it
would be challenging to transport material in and out of the facility, especially since
the access road would not reach the facility. Additionally, the existing gardens uphill
of this location would make finished compost distribution more difficult.
Site 2 is central to the farm and located at the top of the hill. Transporting a
wheelbarrow full of compost from this location would be easy as it is gravitationally

advantageous to move the heavy material from the top of the hill down towards the
upper and lower gardens as needed. There is also a small retention area located
near the back of the property by the fence, and water could be diverted there from
the roof as needed. Site 2 is also located near the access road which would allow
raw material to be transported there with a vehicle.
Site 3 is located downhill at the far corner of the farm close to the road, easing the
process of loading raw materials. However there are no readily divertible
runoff/drainage locations from this location and it is far from the lower garden, so it
would require significant energy inputs to distribute compost from this point. An
advantage of Site 3 is its location near the access road and thus raw materials could
easily be loaded from a vehicle.
Reviewing the attributes of each site, it was determined that locating the compost
facility at Site 2 would best meet the needs of the farm. Site 2 was most desirable
because it was adjacent to the upper garden, where most of the compost would be
applied. The sites uphill location also provided a gravitational advantage for the
distribution of compost to the lower garden.
In order to better understand the topography of this site, the team surveyed the
area with help from Dr. Ogle of the NRCS. Over 90 points were surveyed and loaded
into AutoCAD to create the topographic map shown below.

Figure 3. Site Selection Survey

After surveying and thoroughly plotting the topography of Lick Run, the team
recognized that there was a Class IV well located close to Site 2. Although there are
typically restrictions associated with compost facility locations and wells, Rick
Williams plans on using only a vegetative compost mix. Because he will not be using
manure or other animal waste, there are no NRCS guidelines as to the distance
between the facility at Site 2 and the well on his farm, which gave the team more
autonomy in the decision of placement.
The orientation of the facility was selected so that prevailing winds from the west
and northwest would be perpendicular to the length of the facility. The location at
the top of the hill also allows for the most wind to reach the compost facility, which
was supplemental to the aeration that occurs by turning.