A group of local Snohomish County organizations, working together as the nonprofit, Qualco Energy Corp., has developed a biomass digester, designed to consume waste from local dairy cows, prevent runoff into local streams and provide electric power to local utilities.  The plant has been built south of Monroe in the Tualco Valley between the Skykomish and Snoqualmie River floodplains.  The digester is processing manure from 1600 cows from three local dairy farms. 

Qualco is a non-profit organization that includes representatives from the Sno/Sky Agricultural Alliance, a dairy farmers’ group; Quilceda Power, a subsidiary of the Tulalip Tribes; and the Northwest Chinook Recovery, a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to preserve, restore, and enhance salmon habitat in the Puget Sound region.  Dale Reiner, representative for Qualco, talked about the project with a reporter from Biomass Magazine this last summer.

"Reducing groundwater and salmon stream pollution from dairy operations is one of the primary reasons the digester is being built.  The dairy farmers will benefit too", he added.  “This project will allow participating dairies to grow their herds to the size that best fits their business plan, management style, and future goals, without being restricted by the number of cows allowed on a per-acre basis."