A hands-on course and construction field day will encompass the essential components needed to plan and construct swine and dairy waste lagoons.

The course is sponsored by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Kentucky Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. Richard Warner, a UK Extension soil and water specialist, will be the primary instructor.

The event will be held at two locations. On Dec. 5, the course and field day will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT at UK's Animal Research Center in Woodford County. The Dec. 7 program will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton.

The course will teach participants to construct your own animal waste lagoon; how to work with an earthwork construction contractor; what are the right soils needed; the type of equipment needed; which construction equipment sequence and operations work best; what influence animal waste has on soil liner leakage; and an approximate and simple way to measure very low leakage rates.

The course will include an overview of the current regulations governing lagoon construction. A step-by-step manual containing simplified design and construction aids, photos and schematics illustrating construction techniques and a complete design example will be provided to each participant.

Part of the day will be spent in the classroom with the remainder of the day spend in the field at a construction demonstration.

The program is for producers, land improvement construction contractors, Natural Resources Conservation Service technicians, soil scientists and engineers, agricultural extension agents, state Division of Conservation, Division of Water and Division of Waste Management staff, consulting engineers, and people interested in the environment.

The program is free and lunch will be provided. To register or for more information visit the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering's web site at www.bae.uky.edu/ext/lagoons.