Castoro Cellars

Background

At Castoro Cellars, we believe in two things: producing world-class wines and practicing sustainability in all we do. In fact, we’ve embraced sustainable practices for more than 30 years.

Our 750 acres of California vineyards are SIP (Sustainability In Practice) certified; 350 of our acres are “certified organic.” In addition, we recycle, use solar power, and work with local farmers.

As part of our effort to preserve the land, we know the importance of properly treating all our wastewater. However, as our production of wine grew, the cost of treating the wastewater became very expensive. As a small winery, we try to keep costs as low as possible.

Previously, we used a dissolved air flotation (DAF) treatment system to remove oils, greases, and solids from our wastewater. We also relied on pond aerators to boost oxygen levels.

However, this two-pronged approach required that we employ a full-time operator, at a salary of nearly $40,000/year. We were also spending upwards of $5,000 each month just on coagulant to treat the wastewater. In addition to these costs, we still had to get rid of the sludge waste and our pond was beginning to smell.

Solution

At Castoro, we knew we needed an easier, less labor intensive, and cheaper way to treat our wastewater. So we called ClearBlu Environmental to ask for their help. As a full-service water treatment company who focuses on green technology, we knew they’d be an ideal partner. We told them about our commitment to sustainability, but also stressed the issue of reducing our monthly and annual costs.

ClearBlu removed our dissolved air flotation (DAF) system and replaced it with a biodigester to break down organic matter. They also replaced our large and expensive pond aerators with low-energy micro-bubble surface aerators.

Results

The ClearBlu solution reduced our power consumption by 80 percent. We also lowered our pond sludge depth from 18″ to 6″ in a single year and were relieved to discover the pond odor disappeared due to dosing the pond with bacteria.

ClearBlu saved us a great deal of time, stress, and money. We no longer need to pay for a full-time operator to run our wastewater system and we eliminated the use of the coagulant, at a savings of more than $60,000/year. In addition, we received a $9,600 rebate check from our utility operator.

Monthly Savings

• Energy: $1,000.00
• Coagulant: $5,000.00
• Operator: $3,300.00
• Total: $9,400.00
• As a small company committed to sustainability and quality — that also watches our bottom line- we highly recommend ClearBlu for all your wastewater needs.