50 Hectares Vineyard Drip Irrigation Project
Scope
This client was a farmer who turned a section of his land into a vineyard. He already had a big existing river pump that supplied water to a centre pivot and gun irrigator. The challenge was integrating this manual working 15-year-old pump into the new vineyard irrigation system which had to run automatically.
The client saw the value in galvanising the steel valve manifolds in the field and headworks in the pump shed. Therefore the system looks very robust and made to last for decades.
The system includes a fully automated dam fill system, an irrigation system and a fertigation dosing system. Everything can be controlled and monitored via the Galcon irrigation controller platform on the phone app or laptop.
Project information
Head contractor: Think Water Marlborough
Location: Marlborough, New Zealand
System type: Drip irrigation
Area: 50 hectares
Crop: Grapes
My role: Irrigation system engineering, the making of installation drawings, partly project management, customer contact and financial project control.
Digital tools used: IRRICAD for hydraulic design and AutoCAD for installation drawings.
Photos
Building of pump shed
Installation of steel pump headworks
Commissioning of irrigation system
Drip irrigation of vineyard
Fertilizer mixing system
Fertilizer dosing system
Shed layout
Vineyard layout