BENCHMARK YOUR
FARM’S WATER
CONSUMPTION
Slow the flow of H20
Is your water bill too high?
Benchmark your farm’s water consumption against the standards. You will need your
water bills for the last year.
Method 1: Water Consumption
Drinking Water
Milking herd size
Dry stock units
X 0.07 =
a)
X 0.055 =
b)
cu. m. per day
=
Number of people
on farm
X 0.0250
c)
Total Drinking Water Per Day
=
(1D = a+b+c)
1D X 365 days per year
=
units/year (1Y)
Dairy Shed usage (pre-chill and washing including yard)
Milking herd
2D X
X 0.075 =
days per year (240 typical)
Total Units/Year (benchmark)
Add (1Y) and (2Y)
cu. m. per day (2D)
=
units/year (2Y)
=
cu. m./year (3)
Consumption from your water bill (add the four bills)
cu. m./year
Method 2: Units Per Hectare Per Year
Total of consumption for year from water bills
cubic metres (1)
Area of your farm supplied by the scheme
hectares (2)
(1) divided by (2) =
cu. m. per ha per
year
Benchmarks: If your farm is:
The benchmark is:
Up to 6 km from Egmont park boundary (roughly
Eltham Road)
90 cu. m. per ha per year
6 km to 11 km from the park (roughly Skeet Road)
100 – 110 cu. m. per ha per year
Nearer the coast
120 - 130 cu. m. per ha per year
How Did You Do?
Both methods make generous allowances for water consumption. If your water system
is in good nick and you are reasonably careful in the shed you should be able to beat
the benchmarks by 20%
Farms need huge amounts of water if they are to be healthy and productive, so the
efficient use of water is vital in farming.
Here are some ideas that can help you save water on the farm.
Re-use the pre-cooler water that chills down milk.
Instead of allowing the water that flows through the cooler to run down the drain, catch
it in a tank for your animals to drink, or install a re-circulation system.
Capture rainwater. Roof runoff can be directed into storage tanks. The water can
then be used for wash down during dry periods.
Use dry-cleaning techniques. Use scrapers, squeegees and brushes to remove solid
waste from yards and pens, in order to reduce the amount of water needed for
cleaning.
Check that trough ball-valves are set correctly. Much water can be wasted by
overflowing water troughs and by incorrectly set or damaged ball valves. Ball valves
can be adjusted to lower the float to reduce the risk of spillage and overflowing.
Use boom irrigation. Boom irrigation will apply water more accurately than gun
irrigation, thereby improving both the quality of the crop and the efficiency of water
use.
Use wash-down water for irrigation. Collect the water used for washing down yards
and pens, and use as a supplementary source for irrigation.
Irrigate at twilight or at night. This will minimize water loss through evaporation.
Use correct pump and pipe sizes. Make sure you use the correct pump and pipe
size – trying to pump too much water through a small pipe will increase friction
(reducing pressure at the end) and therefore increase the chance of a leak occurring.
Check your equipment regularly. Water can be conserved by checking the condition
of your pumps, pipes and valves, making sure all seals are tight, and repairing or
replacing all worn seals and other damaged items.
Do not use running water for washing-up. Rinse small equipment in a bucket or
sink, not under running water.
Do not use water-driven equipment, such as traveling gates. If saving electricity is
a priority for you, recycle the water that is used to power the equipment.
Check the water meter regularly. Any indication of abnormal consumption could be
due to leakage. Undetected leaks account for hundreds of litres of water loss each
day.
For more information contact the:
South Taranaki District Council
Albion Street
Hawera
Phone 0800 111 323
Email – [email protected]
Fax – 06 278 8757
Web – www.stdc.co.nz