We are starting to apply for permits for the construction of the distillery space, which can get tangled.
Today’s call was to the wastewater department, seeking to understand what we need to do in terms of permitting for discharge of our waste from the distilling process. Simplistically put, that will include water, neutralized non-potable alcohol, and the material from our mashes. We are going to try to keep the water to a minimum through an integrated (and hopefully closed) heating/cooling system for process operations like heating/chilling mash, running the still, and so on, in an effort to minimize water waste, so, in theory, our only ‘waste’ water will be water used to wash equipment. Neutralized alcohol will be small-scale — though we will have to be sure to measure pH to meet the wastewater requirements. The largest volume of waste, then, will be the residue from our mashes. Our plan is to find a farmer who will come take it away for cattle or pig feed; failing that, we’re going to look at composting it and selling the compost.
More to come!
