Dave’s Upgrade from Discharge Consent

‘We previously had consent to discharge to one of the streams after treatment in the oxidation pond system, but that’s all changed now with council compliance. If you’re investing in change, you might as well make it worth it and invest in something that will not only futureproof the farm but make the job easier and more efficient on a day-to-day basis.’ Dave said.

So Dave gave Nevada a call for some specialist advice on cost effectively setting up a new effluent management system….

The oxidation ponds were in good condition with no signs of leaking, so were easily converted into council compliant storage ponds.  Effluent from the cow shed gravitates into the main pond, and a 7 metre Nevada electric stirrer keeps it all well mixed.  The challenge was finding the best solution for spreading when the farm is split across both sides of a public road.

‘With such high rainfall, Dave needs to take advantage of small windows of fine weather, so the best solution was to install an underground system with two pumps, and irrigators on both sides of the road. This is much more cost effective and also means either, or both sides of the farm can be irrigated at once.’ Michael said.

Due to the farm’s landscape, more pipeline than usual was required, however a combination of low-pressure Greenback travelling irrigators and electric Progressive Cavity pumps means there are no compromises when it comes to pressure and flow.

‘We generally recommend shore mounted centrifugal pumps because they maintain a consistent pressure and flow through the pipes regardless of length or elevation.Being an electric system, Dave could set both the slurry stirrer and pumps on timers if he wanted to run them overnight, or he can set them to go at any time of the day and automatically turn off after a period of time. This means he can free up time to get on with his many other jobs.’
Michael Prestidge – Nevada Effluent Management Specialist