Nicewicz Farm Revisited

The farm has a polyculture of fruits and vegetables as a well as a diverse selection of apples and peaches. With “Westfield Seek-No-Further” apples in hand, Ken Nicewicz explains to students the role of traps in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Given the both risks of pesticide residues on apples and with organic approaches to managing pests, studies have claimed IPM be the optimal strategy. Diversity of species is an important element in sustainable agriculture, and one that enriches our eating experience and sense of narrative as well as preserving agro-cultural heritages. Out of the 1,000’s of known varieties worlwide, a few of the American apples that start with “W” include the “Wolf River”,”Winter Banana”, and “Winesnap”. Ken also points to a ruined corn crop due to early winter weather in October. Last, Ken explains how fruit species are grafted. Corn was reported to be a nitrogen hungry crop whereas apple trees’ demand for nitrogen tapers off during the growing season. Ken also explained the role of weather, geography, and microclimates in influencing crop growth along the hill-top to valley spectrum of the farm.

Coopers Hilltop Dairy Farm

AP Environmental Science students visited the farm this fall. Coopers operates at equilibrium capacity with its local community: retail sales match consumer demand. Retail means, however that Coopers must handle the bottling on its own which includes modern, mechanized milk production practices such as pasteurization ( raising the milk temperature to 145 degrees F for disinfection), homogenization (even mixing of cream/fat to appeal to consumer preferences), and bottling (plastic and reusable glass). James Cooper gave the students a tour of the farm highlighting 1) the practice of pasture farming wherein grazing is managed through rotation to ensure that the grass stays above 3 inches to maintain growth vitality and below 8 inches to avoid the plant from going to seed, 2) the need to maintain proper N-P-K soil ratios through monitoring and corn crop rotation 3) Coopers lack of capacity to make feasible waste to energy production due to scale 4) lowered corn yield due to heavy rain last summer. Pictured above right is a “cycle of life” image of a calf born the day of the trip, reminding us all of the wonder of life.

Geothermal Energy

AP ES students listen to Dennis Rice explain how the geothermal HVAC system works at the recently renovated Whitin Mill complex. 100% of HVAC demand comes from 5 geothermal wells dug down 1500 feet to 52 degree F water, saving $60,000/year in heating/cooling costs.

Wastewater Management

Worcester manages wastewater and run-off by three means: sanitary sewer system, surface sewer, and combined sewer system. Students travelled to the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District’s Upper Blackstone Wastewater Treatment Facility (UBWWTF )in Millbury to study how Worcester and surrounding towns manage and treat their waste water (“sewage”). While the surface sewer system in Worcester directs stormwater to the nearest waterway, the combined sewer system collects both sewage and stormwater sewage in 4 square central miles of the city and directs it along with sewage from homes and businesses to the UBWWTF. The plant averages 30+ million gallons a day using “primary”, physical treatment (settling through gravity), “secondary” biological treatment ( decomposition and absorption of organics, fine solids, dissolved metals, ammonia, phosphorous by microbes living in the aeration tanks followed by a second round of settling), and chemical treatment (chlorine disinfection). Treated water flows into the Blackstone River, making up over 60% of the total headwater flow volume at points in the summer. In 2007, the plant removed 6,238 tons of suspended solids from the waste stream. Sludge is incinerated on-site using various air pollution controls (scrubbers, electrostatic precipitation, oxidation). Other systems data include annual heat energy demand (2007) of 69 million cubic feet of gas and 16.2 million kWh. Currently, the plant is undergoing a $ 180 million renovation to deal in part with EPA regulations regarding phosphorous and nitrogen pollution.

In the event of heavy rain the combined sewer system can become overwhelmed leading to Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) that pollute local waterways. In 1980, Worcester built the Quinsigamond Ave Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment Facility (QACSOTF), which pumps sewage from the combined system to the UBWWTF during dry periods and treats the sewage during heavy rains by using bar screens, settling, and disinfection before capacity exceeding flow is discharged into the Blackstone River.

For more information on the UBWWTF go to UBWPAD

For more information on the QACSOTF go to DPW (click on city departments-public works-combined sewer overflow treatment)

Worcester Water Filtration Plant (II)

Environmental Science students visit the city’s water filtration plant in Holden, MA. Pictures above display i) the role that computers play in monitoring and managing each treatment step, ii) plant manager Bob Hoyt fielding a question from upper school science teacher ,Paul Elkins – in the room for coagulation (fast mixing of aluminum sulfate and cationic polymer binds to debris, forming flocs, which after going through slow mixing, or flocculation, will be filtered out by the top layer of the direct filtration beds (comprised of 5 feet coal, 1 foot sand, 1 foot gravel) and de-ozonation (excess ozone needs to be converted back to O2 before being released outside)- and iii) students peering over the direct filtration beds (filtering water at a rate of about 6 gallons/sf/minute). Typically, the plant reaches it annual maximum during the summer, with 32+ MGD, well below its maximum capacity of 50 +MGD. If and when a water main breaks, the plant will have to compensate for the water pressure drop and lost water by increasing filtration rates by a few MGD. The city is working to mitigate the contamination threat from “cross connections” which is when non-potable water (contaminated with pesticides, chlorine, industrial materials, etc.) back-flows into the water distribution systems due to negative pressure. For more information click on the Water page above and previous water post

Alta Vista Buffalo Farm

At the Alta Vista Buffalo Farm located in Rutland, MA and the Nashua River Watershed, students observed and discussed elements of sustainable agriculture: transparency, community-centered, grass-fed, improved nutrition (iron, lower cholesterol, higher protein), animal welfare, “nature’s pattern”, solarized systems, rotational grazing, symbiotic mutualism, etc. Students also discussed the the drastic population changes of the American Buffalo and its genetic dilution. Last, the farm is located in a hill overlooking the Pine-Hill Reservoir, one of ten reservoirs that supplies Worcester and surrounding towns with municipal water. First barrier protection buffer zones are pronounced in the form of tree stands, and distance from roads, while various brooks flow undeneath rodes and from farm land (such as Alta Vista). Pine Hill is the largest of the ten holding approximately 3 billion gallons at an elevation of 900 feet.

Coopers Hilltop Dairy Farm Revisited

The Environmental Science class returned for the second year in a row to look first-hand at how a local small family dairy farm operates. About 40-50 cows produce up to 8 gallons/day each. Raised on pasture (80 acres on site, 200+ for hay off-site) and farm grown corn (35 acres) as well as imported grain mix (3 tons/week). Cows can eat corn (all of the plant) fresh or fermented but not while it is fermenting (a “hot ration”). A last detail added on this trip were soil types (“merrimack” to the west, “paxton” on the drumlin farm site, and “situate” to the east). Students learned how the sustainable versus industrial agriculture debate is rarely an either-or scenario but a spectrum, or more aptly a series of spectrums for each practice element.

Nicewicz Farm

Apple Maggots (IPM)

Peach Tree

Lay of the Land

Environmental students travelled to the 30-acre, third generation Nicewicz Farm located on 100 acres of land in Bolton, MA and the Nashua River Watershed. At 1200 trees putting out about 4,000 bushels (40lbs/bushel)/year, apple trees are the farm’s dominant crop. A non-native species, apple trees are easy prey for pests such as the the apple maggot, leaf miner, apple scab, and plum curculio and so require pesticide management. The Nicewicz Farm has implemented Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – a method of monitoring pest life cycles, population density, etc. and utilizing traps to optimize the effectiveness and minimize the amount of species-targeted pesticide applications. As a result Nicewicz uses 75% less pesticides compared to the older technique of broad spectrum pesticide applications. The farm also reminds us of the diversity of apple varieties: their 17 to the 1,000’s that exist worldwide.

Buffone Garden Day 2

WA Environmental Science students spent a second class period harvesting crops and preparing the local Buffone Garden for winter. There was a surprised siting of a hawk atop of Rader (photo below)

Creating urban gardens for food production is a potentially transformative act in terms of community building, broad and dynamic virtues of cultivating growth, decreasing carbon emissions and run-off pollution, and biological/ecological field study opportunities, among other benefits.

Neighborhood Garden Work

Environmental Science students from the class of 2012 spent the morning harvesting crops from the Charlie Buffone Garden on Aetna street. The garden is a community garden managed by Oak Hill CDC. Produce from the garden is donated to neighborhood residence.This past summer members of the WA community tended to the garden and ES students will spend some time here harvesting as well as using the garden as a means for studying agriculture in Massachusetts. Soil for the garden came from Worcester residents’ yard compost, which is formed at the Worcester Recycling Center on Ballard street. The class has asked the question what can be grown in state? On Aetna street tomatoes, corn, squash, beans, peppers, cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, pumpkin, cucumber, herbs, and more can grow. What nutrients do these foods supply? What are the benefits of planting corn, beans, and squash together? Where did this practice originate and why? What conditions are needed for the plants to grow? What type of soil? The soil for the garden came from Worcester residents’ yard compost, which is formed at the Worcester Recycling Center on Ballard street. Climate change has been addressed as a major environmental concern by the class, how does producing food in this manner effect carbon dioxide emissions (the primary green house gas -GHG-), aslo known as our carbon footprint. Click on the agriculture page above for more information on agriculture and the lessons the Buffone Garden has to offer.