Irrigation for livestock doubtful

15-06-2009 | Sam Davison

Tarras farmers could potentially lift production from 5su/ha to 22 su/ha if a proposed community water scheme goes ahead.

But local farmer Bruce Jolly says while he supports the scheme, he is unsure whether carrying livestock will be enough to pay for it.

The $30 million water scheme for the Tarras community, in Central Otago, met little opposition when it was unveiled recently.

Jolly says there is no doubting the increase in production it could yield but farmers in the community have mixed reactions about it.

The scheme proposes to pump water from the Clutha River and was spearheaded by the Tarras Community Trust after community meetings identified the need for a more sustainable water source.

Farmers have been left frustrated for years at the present scheme which pumps from the Lindis River and dictates when and where expansion can occur.

The existing scheme supplies irrigation to about 1800ha in the area. But farms are placed on a roster system, which dictates when, and for how long, the water is available.

In addition, it has put enormous pressure on the ailing Lindis River.

The trust's Clutha proposal aims to service 8000ha including irrigation, domestic users, stock water, firefighting and light industrial uses.

It is estimated to cost between $30-40 million and will be primarily funded on a user-pays system.

Jolly says initial ballpark figures calculated by farmers suggest it may cost at least $8000/ha just to get the water on farm.

A cost so far of $380,000 for the feasibility study and related designs had been funded through government grants, sponsorship and a landowner water levy of $20/ha. But because designs for the scheme were still in the early stages, information was "changing all the time".

"The figures look huge, but we're waiting on the feasibility study," Jolly says.

Until now, irrigation in the area has been minimal because farmers were limited by the reliability of the water and had not been able to justify the investment.

While an on-demand water supply would solve this problem, Jolly says some farmers may look at diversifying into other areas to justify the capital expenditure of investing in the new scheme.

Final details of the new scheme have yet to be finalised but two different designs have been proposed, advocating a pressurized pipe system with water pumped from two different intakes on the Clutha River and piped underground to metered-out takes for individual properties.

The pipe system was designed to increase efficiency and minimise the loss of water and pressure that occurred in open channel systems.

Construction could start by September 2010 with completion the following year.

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