August 11, 1999

King County invites horse owners to participate in survey

King County has the highest per capita horse ownership in the Pacific Northwest — the King Conservation District estimates that 30,000 horses live in the county. Along with the distinction of being the horse-owner capital of the Northwest comes the challenge of safely disposing of the 320,000 tons of horse manure and bedding produced each year. To help provide manure management solutions, the county's Department of Natural Resources encourages horse owners to answer a survey that will evaluate the magnitude of horse manure management needs in King County.

King County has the highest per capita horse ownership in the Pacific Northwest — the King Conservation District estimates that 30,000 horses live in the county. Along with the distinction of being the horse owner capital of the Northwest comes the challenge of safely disposing of the 320,000 tons of manure and bedding these horses produce each year. To help provide manure management solutions, the County's Department of Natural Resources encourages horse owners to answer a survey that will evaluate the magnitude of horse manure management needs in King County.

Proper manure management is a rapidly increasing challenge in all suburban and rural areas of western Washington. Waste experts estimate that potentially more manure is produced countywide than yard waste. The large amounts of manure result in management problems for horse owners, neighbors, fish, and wildlife.

The survey of horse owners is part of a larger study designed to understand current manure handling practices in the County. Ultimately, the information gathered on horses and other livestock will be combined with existing data on dairy cows. The final results will be used for making decisions on possible alternatives for managing manure on farms or at off-site processing facilities.

During September, surveyors will call approximately 200 individuals to ask their opinion about a range of topics, including: current methods of handling manure, the amount of material currently generated, preferred alternatives for on-site/off-site utilization, and suggested markets for processed materials.

King County will publish the findings and distribute them to all interested parties. A public comment period will follow.

For further information on this survey, please contact Laurie Clinton, Livestock Program Coordinator with King County's Department of Natural Resources, at (206) 296-1471.

Updated: August 17, 1999

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