Investigations into water harvesting

Press, 6 November 1984, Page 37

Investigations into water harvesting

Investigations into water harvesting are part of the water resource development work undertaken by the New Zealand Agricultural Engineering Institute at Lincoln College.

Water harvesting involves the collection and storage of water for use later in irrigation.

The “Waters of Canterbury” exhibition at the Canterbury Show will include a display by the institute, concentrating on the work of the soil and water section.

Water harvesting schemes are particularly useful in areas which have streams containing minimum or no water flow during the irrigation season. Water harvesting schemes match water availability with irrigation demand. The institute’s involvement in water harvesting started in 1967, when small earth dams were designed to store stock water in the hill country of Otago, Canterbury and Marlborough.

Since then, the institute has taken a leading role in providing storage systems for horticulture developments in Nelson and Motu-

eka, and in major schemes at Glenmark, North Canterbury, and Hakataramea Valley, South Canterbury. A water harvesting irrigation scheme must have a diversion system to transfer water from the source to a storage dam, and a distribution system to get water from the storage area to the irrigation area. The institute will have an action model of a water harvesting scheme on display at the show.

The institute’s involvement in water harvesting ranges from initial feasibility studies through to the design of dams and pipelines. It is at present completing a three-year study of a water harvesting development in the Hakataramea Valley.

Computer models have been developed which allow the potential benefits of water harvesting schemes to be assessed in terms of increased crop yield. The soil and water section at Lincoln College has been investigating irrigation, frost protection and various aspects of water resource development and, during the next few months, will release major reports on new methods of frost protection and the performance of travelling irrigators. The institute is based at Lincoln College and has a sub-station near Hamilton. It is involved in research, development and testing within the agricultural and horticultural industries.