A system for slurry lagoons could help arable farmers maintain irrigation reservoir water levels.
Hexa-Cover, a proven floating cover system widely deployed on slurry lagoons, is now being promoted by UK distributor Tramspread as an effective solution for reducing evaporation losses from irrigation reservoirs, helping growers to make better use of valuable stored water.
According to the company, significant volumes of water held in irrigation reservoirs never reach a crop. Field experience shows that up to 800mm can be lost to evaporation each year. With hotter and drier summers increasing reliance on irrigation, farmers are being encouraged to look beyond simply increasing water storage to protecting what they already have.
“Preserving water collected during winter for use in the growing season is becoming increasingly important,” says Tramspread’s John Tydeman. “This year’s drought conditions mean many farm reservoirs are already empty. For growers operating under restrictive abstraction licences, every cubic metre lost represents wasted money and water that cannot be used to protect yields or quality.”
Hexa-Cover’s hexagonal elements, which are manufactured from 100% recycled plastic, form an interlocking floating barrier, dramatically reducing evaporation losses by up to 95% according to the manufacturer. Installation is quick and cheap – the elements are simply tipped into the reservoir and position themselves.
Hexa-Cover is already used to protect reservoirs on the continent and further afield. John believes the technology could now become an increasingly important part of future water management for British agriculture.
“Hexa-Cover has an expected lifespan of more than 25 years, so it’s a long-lasting investment, and we believe that most businesses could recoup the cost in less than five years,” he says.
Hexa-Cover elements are stable and do not rely on trapped air to float or liquid ballast to anchor them against wind. This means that even a damaged element will remain in situ and won’t block outlets or equipment. In addition to reducing evaporation, the floating cover helps prevent algae growth.
