A Maryland company has plans that could convert all poultry litter produced in Sussex County into electricity and other byproducts, making manure piles lying in fields a thing of the past.

Clean Bay Renewables LLC has filed conditional-use applications to use a 30-acre and a 23-acre parcel where the old Georgetown harness track was located to accept poultry litter waste for processing at two identical plants. Both parcels are zoned AR-1.

During more than three hours of testimony at the June 8 Sussex County Planning and Zoning meeting, residents and business owners whose property is close to the proposed project near Georgetown say they support the idea but not the location for an industrial use.

The plants would process more than 200,000 tons of poultry waste generated each year in the county, said Thomas Spangler, owner and founder of the company.

Methane gas would be produced using an enclosed anaerobic digestive/fermentation process that would power generators to provide electricity to the grid.

Spangler said the proposed plants would produce zero waste. He said the plants would be unique in scope but would use a process similar to that utilized by landfills all over the world.

Spangler said not all of the litter would be converted to methane gas, but it would still be recycled through a nutrient recovery facility where the phosphorus and nitrogen would be separated into two products. Methane gas recovery is not new technology, but what is new is the nutrient recovery system.

A granular phosphorus product would be trucked to markets in the Midwest and West where phosphorus is in great demand. Leftover nitrogen would be turned into a soil product and sold to fertilizer companies. “It would be a good replacement for the current litter application,” he said.

Water used in the process would be continuously circulated and not require disposal.

Kristin Shaw, a senior scientist working on the project, said the proposed location is ideal because of its proximity to the electrical grid connection. Spangler said other Sussex locations were considered before a final decision was made.

Shaw said the plants would barely be visible from the road as a result of planned screening and tree planting. She said the proposed design would mimic the Delaware Solid Waste Authority transfer station barns.

Spangler said a litter contractor would haul 12 tractor-trailer loads six days a week. The trucks would haul about 22 tons of enclosed material to the plants and take about 15 minutes to unload, he said.

Shaw said odors would be contained within the enclosed facility and trucks. Even if odors were present, prevailing southwest winds would take them away from houses and businesses, she said.

Questions about traffic impact

Dennis Schrader, the developer's attorney, said the traffic impact of the proposed facility would be less than 1 percent of the total traffic in the area. The site plan includes an entrance off Route 9 and another off Sand Hill Road, although that route may not be a primary entrance.

Commissioners agreed that the Route 9 intersection would not work. “The only way to get out is to use a back entrance,” said Commissioner Keller Hopkins. He said the intersection of Sand Hill Road and Route 9 is a hard one for truckers to use, and most don't use it.

“It's not 1 percent but 99 percent of the truck traffic in the area,” Hopkins said.

“We need to think about not allowing access on Route 9,” said Commissioner Marty Ross.

Assistant county attorney Vince Robertson said use of the land requires that it have access and each conditional-use application has a separate access point.

'Great idea but suspect location'

“The idea is great, but the location is suspect,” said Joe Schell, representing Sussex Sports Center Foundation, which announced it has plans to construct a sports complex directly across Sand Hill Road from the proposed facility. The complex – with construction planned to start this summer – will have eight soccer and lacrosse fields, pickleball courts and a walking trail.

“This can't be the only place in Sussex County that would work. There must be a more rural area,” he said.

Ken Bock, executive director of CHEER along Sand Hill Road, said the proposed facility would greatly impact the traffic pattern in the immediate area with 12 tractor-trailers accessing the facility each day.

“On our front doorstep, we would literally be contending with chicken trucks six days a week,” Bock said.

He said most of the litter would not be generated by farms in eastern Sussex County. He said a more remote location with less traffic congestion, closer to where the most poultry farms are located – primarily in western Sussex – would be more efficient.

Sussex Academy opposed to project

Patricia Oliphant, representing Sussex Academy, said school officials understand the benefits of the facility. “But an industrial facility in close proximity to the school and our investment should not happen. It's too close to Sports at the Beach and CHEER. We chose to be here because of the community atmosphere,” she said.

She said the school has made a $35 million investment in the property for its 700 students.

Pete Townsend, owner of Sports at the Beach, said he shared the same concerns expressed by Schell. “It's a great project, but it's the wrong location,” he said. He said his 20-year-old facility has an annual $40 million economic impact on the county through its tournaments and other sports activities.

“This is not suited for this area. Residential neighborhoods have been here 50-plus years. We can find no facility like this on the Delmarva Peninsula,” said Kaye Mumford, representing residents in the area.

She said residents are concerned about trucks making turns off and onto Route 9. “We can't imagine the odors from trucks waiting to make turns,” she said.

Stephanie Lynch read a letter on behalf of Little Einsteins on Sand Hill Road. She said one of the driveways for the proposed facility would be next to the preschool's parking lot where parents drop off their children. “This will alter the children's experiences and could cost me future students,” she said.

She said a better location would be the county's new business park five miles away.

A public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 18, at the Sussex County Council meeting. The commission deferred on a vote in order to spend more time reviewing the public record.

First plant to be built in Maryland

Clean Bay Renewables will construct its first plant in Somerset County, Md.. It will be the first of four plants scheduled to built on Delmarva. Company officials say as many as 10 plants could be built in the future. The $25 million plant will be located on 30 acres of a 100-acre industrial-zoned parcel and will be able to process 250 tons of litter per day.