Drought Vs. Data: Dashboard development for resiliency planning of our biosolids land application program

During 2021, eastern Colorado exhibited a severe drought period which prompted South Platte Renew (SPR) staff to re-evaluate the needs of its Beneficial Reuse (BU) Program and its overall resiliency to future scenarios that could inhibit biosolids land application. Because biosolids application rates are dependent on soil nutrient concentrations, crop uptake is the main driver of whether or not biosolids may be applied to a given plot of land. If a crop fails due to drought, infestation, or other factors, less nitrogen is removed from the soils, prompting lower, if any, agronomic application rates. SPR staff posed an important question: how many acres do we need to support plant operations and avoid landfilling? While this question seems simple, its answer is complicated with the uncertainty of how climate change will affect the frequency of drought conditions into the future. Being a data-driven organization, SPR utilized historical data on the past application rate, soil and biosolids quality, and weather patterns to develop a scenario-planning tool. This data tool was formulated internally with Microsoft's PowerBI so that the user can manipulate the data in order to investigate how lower application rates and reduced uptake will influence the acres that will be available for land application in the future. This talk will highlight the components of the data tool and how it can be used to manage and optimize SPR's BU Program in the future. A case study will also be presented, covering SPR's ability to use the tool to inform decision-making related to purchasing 4,000 additional acres of farm land.