Each year, the City of Turlock collects tons of soggy leaves from city streets through its annual Leaf Pickup Program.

Now, those leaves will be used to help local farmers, acting as a soil amendment to help crops grow.

The leaves collected during the past 10 to 15 years currently sit in a stockpile on a five-acre portion of the Turlock Regional Water Quality Control Facility. But due to space limitations, the City of Turlock must divest some of its stockpiled leaves to create future storage space.

Members of the local farming community have approached the City of Turlock, asking if they could use the leaves as an organic soil amendment on their farms.

As the leaves are essentially worthless when factoring in costs to load, haul, and spread them, the City of Turlock is planning to give the leaves to anyone who will haul them away. Interested farmers must only fill out a short contract, which essentially releases the city from any liability.

The Turlock City Council approved the leaf reuse plan at its Tuesday meeting..