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.