Water on farm project

The Gecko CLaN is working with landholders to improve decision making around farm water security.

Mark 2 of the Water on Farms Project has commenced using existing infrastructure at the Lima East trial site. The trial site was established for the Soils, Moisture, Plant and Technology project.

At the trial site a water level sensor has been installed on a fenced off dam. The water is pumped using a solar pump to a header tank and then distributed to tanks around the property for reliable stock water.

A water level sensor has been installed on the header tank along with a flow meter as seen in the slide show below.

Solar pump solar panel
Fenced off dam with solar pump on float and water level sensor on post
Solar Pump Control and pressure tank
Flow meter located at bottom of header tank
Flow meter with cable for remote reading

Data from the flow meter, tank water level sensor and dam level sensor can be viewed in real time using the Gecko CLaN login to the following website:

To view the live data follow these instructions:

Go to: https://www.obsrv.it/

Enter the following user name: [email protected]

Enter the following password: password

You should now see the following page:

If you have any questions about access to this site please contact Kerri Robson at: [email protected]

Cases Study Video

A new case study video has been produced demonstrating the value of this project to landholders.

The above video shows John Kelly’s property at Euroa. The case study video show’s how John:

Improved his farm water supply;
Implemented a farm water budget;
Utilised solar pumps and wireless tank monitors.

For further information contact Kerri Robson on 0418 140 710.

A number of field days have been ran across the region in 2015 and 2016.

This projects uses real case studies and presents opportunities for farmers to hear about the various water requirements for stock, domestic and fire to make decisions.

The topics covered on the field days include:

Water needs assessment (how much do I have in storage for the home and your livestock)
Evaluating water reserves (evaporation rates)
Options for meeting water requirements (flow rates, pumps, tanks and troughs)
Livestock management options and contingency
Demonstration on how to measure you dam depth and calculate its storage potential.
Wireless Water level monitoring and solar pump demonstration
Weather Station and remote access

For more information about this project contact Kerri Robson on 0418 140 710

Information to assist you assess the quantity of water on your farm and the volume of water you need for your stock can be found below. Also provided is information about new technologies that can be used to more accurately measure weather conditions on your property and remote tank level sensors can also be found below.

How much water is on my property?

To effectively manage water on you property you first need to know how much water you have available and what your demand is for water over the year.

Using a rope and weights system to measure the depth of a dam. The length and width can be measured with a measuring wheel or a tape measure. Once the depth is known the following formulas on the following web page can be used to calculate the volume in the dam.

How much water is in my dam?

Once you’ve measured your dams surface area and volume, you can calculate how much water will be lost through evaporation or is unusable.

Evaporation rates are approx. 2 mm/day or 730mm/year for the Goulburn Broken Catchment. To calculate the amount of water lost through evaporation: Dam surface area (m2) x 0.002 (daily evaporation rate) = X m3. Multiple this figure by 1,000 to convert the figure into litres/day.

Evaporation data for your region can be found at Evaporation data.

You should also remove the bottom 300 mm of dam depth in your calculations as livestock can’t access this water.

How much water do I need?

Once you have calculated the amount of useable water stored in your dam you can compare this to your water requirements. Indicative water requirement for stock are seen below.

Stock	Annual average drinking water requirement (litres/animal/year)
Sheep:
nursing ewes on dry feed	3,650
mature sheep – dry pasture	2,555
mature sheep – irrigated pasture	1,280
prime lambs – dry pasture	1460
prime lambs – irrigated pasture	400
Cattle:
dairy cows, dry	29,200
dairy cows, milking	54,750
beef cattle	25,550
Weaners (250-300kg)	18,250

For further water requirements for livestock, domestic and fire water use visit the Department of Economic Development’s website.

Understanding ahead of time how much water you have in reserve will help you make decisions on stocking rates and whether you’ll need to purchase water.

In developing plans for water infrastructure on your property the following information may be useful.

Tools for monitoring local weather

The Gecko CLaN is currently trialling the use of remote access weather station.

The weather station has been installed on a property at Warrenbayne. Once set up a web-based login allows for real time access to the data.

The location of the weather station can be viewed

and zoomed into see the exact location

The real time data can also be viewed.

Data can be selected and graphed to view longer term trends. In the example below both temperature and daily rainfall is shown over a 30 day period.

The weather station can provide real time data where it is not available in your area or close to your property. The information obtained allows for better management of farm water resources and provides information for improved stock health management.

For further information about how weather stations can be used to assist you in managing water supplies on your property please contact Landcare Project Officer Kerri Robson on Ph.0418 140 710 or email:[email protected]

New technologies for pumping and monitoring water supplies on your property

A range of new technologies are now available for landholders to assist with monitoring of farm water supplies. These are particularly useful for remote water supplies or for managing water on properties where the manager is absent. An example of this technology is the use of cameras to monitor stock troughs with a combination of remote cameras and mobile phone. A brochure of the Observant product can be found here: DIY CAMERA KIT SOLO.

Remote tank monitors are also useful for ensuring that header tanks have water in them for distribution to troughs. A brochure for a tank water level monitoring kit can be found here: Tank Level Kit

The benefits of using solar pumps, header tanks and distribution systems for establishing stock water are discussed at the field days. Example of solar pump systems are seen in the image below.

Further information about these technologies can be found through your local pump and irrigation supplier or stock and station agents.

Tools for sizing water pipe

Future field days and events

Upcoming events and field days hosted by the Gecko CLaN about on-farm water management can be found at the Events page of the Gecko CLaN website.