An agricultural consultant may be able to design a specific installation for your unique situation. Be sure to contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District Conservationist for assistance in siting and design of manure and waste water handling systems. Clean water from offset runoff and ground water seepage must be excluded from bunker silos. It is essential that adequate drainage be installed to exclude offset runoff and groundwater seepage from silage effluent. Collecting all dirty runoff from a bunk silo is possible, but the amount of storage needed is usually unreasonable, since all the rainfall that runs off needs to be stored.
Rainwater dilutes the silage juice.
The higher volume but lower concentration pollutants may be treated in a grass filter area or constructed wetland. Allowing rainfall driven higher flows to bypass the storage system can reduce the volume of storage needed for concentrated effluent and still protect the environment. The effluent collection system must retain solids that float and settle. It is important to stop any solids from leaving the bunk during rainfall runoff. These solids will rot and produce silage juice.