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The GREEN HORSE - sustainable horsekeeping

Vol 28-3

In the October/November 2006 Issue of The Green Horse you will find the following articles:

Talking Point and Information Exchange
Electric Fencing Explained
Harvesting Water by Dr Ross Mars
WEED WATCH - Salvinia by Nicola Field
Workshops For Property Management by Julie Fiedler
Growing Your Own Equine Herbs - Barley Grass by Fiona Adams
Deeds, Steeds and Weeds
Guy Fawkes Brumbie Update
Biosecurity Counts
Doing It Tough by Chris Ferreira and Tracey Bell

HARVESTING WATER

How to Save 200,00 Litres A Year
by Dr Ross Mars


Most horse properties are found either in the outer metropolitan area or in small acreage sites between the city and country towns. Often, because of lacality, water becomes a priority, not only for human use but for animals, as their requirements are usually far greater than those of humans. By harvesting rainwater from the main house, sheds or stables, and reusing greywater and wastewater from these premises, you can work towards becoming more self-reliant, and of course, creating a property that is environmentally friendly. In an age where fuel costs are escalating and the price of water and power is set to increase over the next few years, collecting and/or reusing water will, in the long term, reduce your operating costs. The collection of rainwater could save you at least 20,000 litres a year, and that’s a huge strain you are taking off the Water Corporation dam systems. Harvesting Rainwater Australia’s rainfall is decreasing each year, a trend that started many years ago and scientists predict will continue for many years to come. Obtaining enough water to meet the needs of each household will become a problem if measures aren’t taken to utilise all sources of available freshwater. The average home could easily harvest 100,000 litres each year from their roof. For example, if the roof area is 200 metres square and the annual rainfall is 900 millimetres, then this equates to 180 kilolitres per year. Obviously, it may be impossible to collect all of this roof water, but certainly you could catch at least half. You can imagine how much more water a horse property has the potential to collect - stables, sheds and shelters all offer plenty of roof space run-off. Installing a rainwater tank, no matter what size, is a small step you can take to improve water availability for your needs. As a general guide, a stable of six horses all needing water and washing, could require a tank of at least 90,000 litres, which may need to be refilled over the summer at least once.

Benefits of Rainwater Tanks
Collecting rainwater has many environmental benefits, as well as benefiting you! Some reasons for harvesting rainwater include:
• Providing water for washing horses and gear.
• Supplementing the watering of pasture or grass, and stable gardens.
• Reducing use of mains (scheme) water - a very valuable, limited resource.
• Saving money – buying less water from a service provider.
• Providing a water source that has reduced levels of salts and other substances.
• Providing a clean water source for stock to drink.

Options Available?
The choices of size and shape of tanks available are endless, as is the type - from steel to plastic, concrete to fibreglass.

Connections to the House/Stable
Rainwater is most often pumped to the house or stables, although gravity can be used in some cases to direct rainwater. In areas where power supply may be a problem, this is an advantage, as water can be available at all times. Either a pressure-tank pump or a pressure-switch pump is used to supply rainwater when required. When the tap is turned on the pump is activated and gently pumps water to the tap or hose fixture. With the pressure-tank system, the tank on top of the pump permits water to be pumped under pressure. Instead of the pump turning on every time the tap is opened, the pressure inside the cylinder may be enough to supply the water.

Running out of Rainwater
If you only install a small tank (ie: less than 20,000 litres) then it is likely you will run out of rainwater during the summer period. This, of course, depends on the use of the water - how many horses to wash and how often, is a washing machine used, is there a toilet or shower in the stable and is there a garden or grassed area to be reticulated. A large requirement can rapidly deplete the volume you can collect during rainy times. Greywater Reuse Systems install rainwater tanks that integrate the mains (scheme) water source with the rainwater source. A double check valve is connected to both, and when the rainwater is depleted, you simply turn a couple of ball valves to enable mains water to enter the system. The double check valve is the minimum requirement recommended by the Water Corporation to prevent any cross-contamination of mains water and rainwater.

Local Council Plans
Not all local government agencies require an application to install a rainwater tank. You will need to contact your council about this. Some local government councils also require engineered drawings from the tank manufacturer, and these should be included in the submission to council.

Further Considerations
Most rainwater tanks come supplied with a basket (leaf) filter, tap (usually brass) and overflow pipe. Each tank manufacturer has their own fittings, but generally the basket filter is made from moulded plastic, the tap is either a simple stopcock or a gate valve, and the overflow pipe is a length of PVC which directs overflow to the ground. Large steel-based tanks will also have a sacrificial anode, which is buried alongside the tank. This helps prevent corrosion of the steel body. In addition to these standard fittings, a number of optional extras are available for your rainwater tank system, such as:
A filter bag – a cloth filter which removes most sand and dust as the water enters the tank;
A first-flush device - this enables the first rains to be directed away from the tank. This water may contain dust and decayed matter, and it is best not to collect this and pollute the tank water;
Vermin proofing - this is often necessary for steel and steel-liner tanks to prevent insects, frogs and small rodents from finding their way into the tank;
Garden overflow - either a subsurface (below the ground) piped trench or a simple gravity-fed dripper system is installed to direct overflow more effectively to garden areas or beds, paddocks or treelines;
Venting - condensation is common is rainwater tanks. This is not a problem for poly (plastic) tanks but can cause minor corrosion in steel and steel-liner tanks. A ‘whirlybird’ vent or similar is installed in the tank lid to duct excess water vapour to the atmosphere.

Costs Involved
Rainwater tanks are relatively cheap. However, small tanks are proportionally dearer, so the larger the tank the better is the cost-effectiveness. For example, a 1,000 litre tank may cost $900, a 5,000 litre tank $2500 while a 50,000 litre tank is about $4500. (These prices are estimates only, and may vary from state to state.) If you intend to pump the rainwater to flush toilets and so on, then a pump and irrigation filter would be about $600. Installation would be extra, and this depends on the distance to the stable fixtures and the degree of difficulty in supplying water to the stables. Remember, that if the rainwater tank is also plumbed to, and supplies, the house, then a rebate of $500 is possible from the Water Corporation.

Why Bother?
We know that the rainfall in Australia is decreasing year by year and that water restrictions are here to stay. This means that everyone needs to do some future planning, especially those of us with horses, which are often seen as ‘destructive and non-environmentally friendly’ to some parts of the community. As responsible horse owners, we need to be seen to be doing our bit to conserve, rather than waste, our valuable water supplies.

Dr Ross Mars from Greywater Reuse Systems ­ can be contacted on 08 9294 4141 or 0439 971 213.

Biosecurity Counts

Awareness of farm hygeine and biosecurity measures has been an ongoing campaign within many agricultural and primary industry departments around Australia. However the importance of preventing the spread of pests and diseases should not be limited to our farming communities, and property owners everywhere are encouraged to take responsibility for biosecurity in their own backyards. Weeds alone cost Australia more than $4.7 billion each year!

The risks of introducing weeds or pests are increased when people enter paddocks to carry out weed control, mowing or crop and pasture monitoring, when new livestock is introduced to the property and when machinery is moved between properties. Checklists and protocols are being developed to help raise awareness of the measures which can be taken by landowners, farmers and anyone entering a rural property (ie: power, gas or water authorities, staff, contractors or even neighbouring farmers), which include construction of sealed vehicle, machinery and equipment washdown areas at property entrances, signage asking visitors to report upon arrival, cleaning tools for clothes and footwear, recommendations of sticking to tracks and firebreaks when driving through properties, and avoiding walking or driving through crops.

Information is also available on transport and disposal of risk materials, specific procedures and the requirements at designated hygiene points. Simple measures such as washing down the blades and covers of mowing machinery, ensuring burrs or seeds are removed from manes and tails upon return, if riding outside of the property, cleaning tyres and rubber matting in floats and trucks used for transporting horses and purchasing only weed-free feedstuffs will all help. Checklists are available as a brochure in some states, and it is hoped heightened awareness will enable property owners to be more productive and reduce the cost of pest and disease prevention, control and management. Less use of chemicals will also help keep your property clean and green, a much healthier environment for horses and humans! Contact the agriculture or primary industry’s department in your state for further information.