30,000 tons of turkey poop

April 27, 2002 6:43 PM

30,000 tons of turkey poop to turn an old mine site in Indiana into wetlands. Memo to self, avoid driving anywhere near Lynnville Indiana anytime soon. This is so neat. I mean what else are you going to do with 30,000 tons of turkey poop?
posted by MAYORBOB (11 comments total)

I mean what else are you going to do with 30,000 tons of turkey poop?
A hard question, either drop it between the Israelis and Palestinian's, nothing else seems to work. Or the White House lawn. Make Dubya the green president.
posted by onegoodmove at 6:58 PM on April 27, 2002

The turkey manure -- with its high nitrogen content -- will be used to fertilize the wetlands, which are designed as a passive treatment system to purify acidic mine run-off water

Umh could somebody, maybe a biogeek, explain how the thing works ? As far as I know acid-ic? water isn't good for plants, so what's the use of fertilizer if plants suffer from polluted water ? I'm surely missing some important fact here.
posted by elpapacito at 7:26 PM on April 27, 2002

aaawwwwwwyyeeaaaaaaahhhh!
posted by quonsar at 8:12 PM on April 27, 2002

As a guy with two compost bins in his back yard, this makes me all tingly inside.
posted by Tacodog at 8:16 PM on April 27, 2002

IANABG but I'm guessing the idea is roughly:that birdlime, being a strong alkali, will neutralise the mine run-off.
Here's how you can try it at home! Maybe you could use llama dung, if you have any.
posted by Catch at 8:25 PM on April 27, 2002

posted by quonsar at 8:38 PM on April 27, 2002

Recycling llama dung.... it's a good thing!
posted by Catch at 9:03 PM on April 27, 2002

Now that's what I call recycling.

Fertilization from turkey manure can be used to simulate the contribution of animal waste in the nitrogen cycle, which raises the pH levels in water. Right now, because the mine water has no animal waste, it has very low pH levels (meaning highly acidic, and not conducive to plant life). In other words, turkey dung pollutes in that the water is undrinkable for humans, but it purifies it so that plants can live.
posted by insomnyuk at 9:55 PM on April 27, 2002

quonsar, shhhhhh, don't worry your pretty little head about it, baby...
posted by machaus at 5:08 AM on April 28, 2002

but next comes the llama door of death, you ruminant fascist!
posted by quonsar at 11:36 AM on April 28, 2002

Never underestimate the power of 30,000 pounds of turkey poop. Wars were fought, empires spread, and nations were built on such things...
posted by insomnia_lj at 2:30 PM on April 28, 2002