Irrigation tools for the future This article featured in the Irrigation Australia Journal, Autumn 2009.

1. IRRIGATION TOOLS
FOR THE FUTURE
The CRC for Irrigation Futures has had a look through its toolbox and come up with a sample of products and ideas
to illustrate the variety of innovative ways we will be looking at irrigation and water management in the future.
Monitoring pump
performance
Once they are installed, pumps
typically operate on a set-and-forget
basis. Unfortunately, they also often
don’t performing as specified and
chew through more electricity or
diesel than needed. Of course, a
pump assessment can be done to
check performance, but a
disadvantage is that they may only
look at performance for an hour or
two, rather than over the whole
irrigation cycle during which the
pump may perform different duties.
Now there is a solution to this
issue - the Wireless Pressurised
Irrigation Monitoring System (PIMS).
PIMS provides a toolkit for The heart of the PIMS toolkit - a coordinator unit which integrates the various sensors
monitoring the performance of key during the irrigation cycle.
components of an irrigation system,
such as pump pressure and suction, cycle. Data can be viewed as it is Pat Daley from Daley’s Water
application pressures and storage collected or stored by the coordinator Service in Queensland has tested the
water levels. Importantly, the PIMS and downloaded later. The wireless toolkit out in the field.
toolkit allows continuous monitoring system offers great flexibility in
of performance across the complete connecting the range of sensors. The
irrigation cycle. PIMS system can be customised to a
specific application to provide real-
At the heart of the PIMS toolkit is
time and remote monitoring of
coordinator unit which integrates the
resources, irrigation and assets.
various sensors during the irrigation
Figure 2. Pressure variation at the end of
Figure 1. Information that PIMS can provide includes pump head and pressure over time a centre pivot operating on undulating
at different water depths. country.
32 IRRIGATION AUSTRALIA

2. CRCIF
“I am very impressed with what a travelling irrigator or centre pivot costs incurred rectifying system
little information can give you,” said over undulating ground.” performance,” he explained.
Pat. “Initial data from a side roll According to Pat, the assessment
irrigator has highlighted a defined work he has carried out has shown Information
pump suction problem when it is 60% of distribution uniformity For information about PIMS, contact
filling the spray line; it is taking far problems are from incorrect pressure Dr Jack McHugh, phone 07 4631 1873,
too long to get up to pressure at the at the water applicator. email
sprays. I see the PIMS as being useful “This particular trial data allowed jack.mchugh@irrigationfutures.org.au
logging the variable pressures you me to calculate the pay back time of
might have when operating a
Alternative approaches to irrigation in Northern Australia
There has been much debate about better integrated into the unique across the landscape that may be a
the potential of expanding irrigation environmental and cultural viable alternative to traditional
in northern Australia. The CRCIF landscape of the tropics? large-scale irrigation systems (see
has asked the question: if irrigation Irrigation mosaics might be one Figure 3).
is changed and/or expanded in way. Mosaics involve discrete Irrigation mosaics may be more
northern Australia, how can it be patches of irrigated land distributed sympathetic to and in tune with
northern Australia landscapes,
allowing more options and
opportunities for adaptive
irrigation management. If
properly integrated into different
landscapes a mix of small-scale
irrigated patches could help
reduce surface and deep drainage,
minimise erosion and decrease
nutrient loss relative to large-scale
irrigated areas.
By comparison, traditional
approaches to irrigation can lead
to rising watertables and soil and
groundwater salinisation, and
threaten the long term
sustainability of irrigated areas.
Leakage of nutrients and
agrochemicals from the rootzone
can threaten downstream
ecological systems.
Some analysis tools are now
available to obtain further insights
into various mosaic designs. We
now need to develop more
knowledge about the broader
movement of solutes like nitrate
and salt in mosaic systems.
Further analysis of the ecological,
social and economic impacts is
also required.
While further research is
Figure 3. Irrigation mosaics and traditional contiguous irrigation areas. Blue and red needed, the application of
arrows represent water and solute movement, respectively. irrigation mosaic thinking could
benefit not only new irrigation
developments but also
Some potential impacts of irrigation mosaics
reconfiguration of existing
Potential +ve impacts Potential -ve impacts irrigation in northern and
southern Australia.
• reduced watertable rise • higher evapotranspiration
Information
• improved filtering of surplus nutrients • increased operational water losses
For more information about mosaics,
• reduction in solutes leaving an irrigated • more difficult logistics for implementation contact Dr Keith Bristow, phone
region 07 4753-8596, email
• ability to exploit natural variability in the • diseconomies of scale Keith.Bristow@irrigationfutures.org.au
landscape website www.clw.csiro.au/naif/
IRRIGATION AUSTRALIA 33

3. CRCIF
Water pictures worth a thousand words and NSW), phone 08 8302 0887, email
Community participation has to ‘shift’ ground by designing Jennifer.McKay@irrigationfutures.org.au
become an accepted part of good acceptable ‘packages’ is the heart of website
public decision-making processes www.unisa.edu.au/waterpolicylaw/
the art of consensus building
such as water planning. But using approach. Dr Claudia Baldwin (for Queensland),
participation to build consensus phone 07 5430 1283,
across the community is not easy. Information email
Pictures taken by irrigators are For information about Photovoice Claudia.Baldwin@irrigationfutures.
proving to be a great way of drawing contact: Professor Jennifer McKay (for SA org.au
out how people value water and their
attitudes to water reforms. In short,
this provides a deeper understanding Rural community members provide their perspective – in pictures
of the issues. ‘Photovoice’ is a
technique that lets people use photos
LEFT: Lower Balonne upstream: ‘The
to represent what water means to
development we have here and the
them and to illustrate their
investment … is useless without water’
understanding of sustainable water
use. The technique complements
more traditional survey methods to
give insights into how the irrigators
view water issues.
In southeast South Australia (SA), RIGHT: Lower Balonne downstream:
an exhibition of the photos taken by ‘Lignum watercourses…from floods which
6 irrigators and other rural we don’t get a lot of these days… When
community members, called Picturing we don’t get any floodwater on this heavy
Water Use and Justice, was shown in sort of country, we don’t grow a huge lot
the Adelaide fringe festival and in Mt of food’
Gambier in 2008. Another exhibition
is almost completed for the
Coleambally region of NSW. LEFT: Lower Lockyer: ‘Our house …
The SA Photovoice exhibition has our livelihood and our children’s future
provided new insights into drought, ... without water we don’t have a
the sense of attachment to land and business, without water you’re
reported on the efforts made by concerned for your children’s future’…
irrigators to achieve sustainable ‘this parking lot would normally be full…
management of their land. these people matter to me’
Comments from urban Adelaide
residents on the exhibition RIGHT: Water at work. Hundreds of
underscore the realisation of graziers, stock agents and meat buyers
sustainable practices used by growers. mill around looking for bargains or
In the Lockyer catchment west of checking that they got a fair price from the
Brisbane and in the Lower Balonne buyer. All these people heavily depend on
catchment in south Queensland, the the irrigated pasture for their livelihood.
‘Photovoice’ method drew out values
about procedural and distributional
fairness, sustainable water use, need
for independence and community
wellbeing. Photovoice allowed
LEFT: Water as it should be. The last of
opponents to discuss their different
the “wet” winters. Swans normally return to
values, leading to reduced
the same swamp every year but these
have found the Tillas Wetland dry for 7 of
competitive orientations, finding
the last 12 winters.
common ground and achieving
agreements. The ability to get parties
Smart metering important elements associated with measure water use and provide
practising efficient irrigation. detailed information that can lead to
‘Smart’ water metering technology,
Current intensive irrigation improved irrigation practice and
which has the potential to improve
schemes often consist of complex efficiency.
irrigation and on farm efficiency, is
pressurised delivery network systems, The research has shown improved
being researched by the CRCIF at its
and obtaining useful information on irrigation efficiency through use of
University of South Australia node
water use can be technically difficult this information in trials conducted
Knowing the amount of water being
and expensive. ‘Smart’ technology on citrus and avocado crops and
used and where it is used are
can be coupled with a water meter to vineyards in Renmark, South Australia
34 IRRIGATION AUSTRALIA

4. and on urban open space turf irrigated in Adelaide.
Other trials are being assessed in applications
involving vegetable crops, almond orchards, grape
vines and plant nurseries.
An unexpected outcome from the trials to date is
the interest in accurate water use data expressed by
irrigators and, more importantly, the desired to
improve irrigation efficiency. One of the trials has
led to an intensive field salinity and nutrient solute
assessment while another demonstrated that a
potential saving of 30% or 100 ML annually could
be achieved on one farm alone.
Designed to be used where irrigation is managed
manually or with simple controllers, the ‘Smart’ tool
is intended to be a technology for use at the farm
enterprise level, but it also has potential benefits for
irrigation water suppliers and urban open space
irrigators.
National Water Commission funding will enable
the CRCIF to further develop and extend the tool’s
smart capabilities, and identify the factors that will
encourage uptake of the technology by rural and
urban pressurised irrigators.
The Chief Executive Officer of the CRC IF, Ian
Atkinson, says the technology has potential
applications in both rural and urban settings. In
urban irrigation for instance it could be used by
local government to monitor water use at multi-
purpose community facility where water is used for
turf, gardens, toilets and other purposes. Being able
to accurately monitor water use for each purpose
from the one device has major potential in a time of
water shortages. However, to achieve commercial
application of the technology the CRCIF will be
seeking a suitable commercial partner and would be
pleased to hear from Australian companies looking
to exploit these ideas.
The research on smart metering is being
conducted with support from the Australian
Government through the National Water
Commission’s Raising National Water Standards
Program (RNWS). The program supports the
implementation of the National Water Initiative by
funding projects that are improving Australia’s
national capacity to measure, monitor and manage
our water resources.
To reach the decision-makers in the
irrigation field, you should consider
advertising in Irrigation Australia
Journal, the official journal of Irrigation
Australia.
For information on advertising rates,
please contact Brian Rault at Hallmark
Editions, Tel (03) 8534 5000 or email
brian.rault@halledit.com.au