By Linda Clarke  December 16 2009

Agriculture minister David Carter will visit Mid Canterbury on Friday to see pioneering farmer-driven irrigation schemes using water more efficiently.

Mr Carter will look at the Rangitata Diversion Race and its plans for water storage, and at the Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme, which has piped part of its scheme to improve water use.

 Five farmers at the top end of the scheme have also recently installed a water turbine that generates high and low pressure water to run spray guns and centre pivots.

 Ashburton Lyndhurst scheme chairman John van Polanen said the turbine was commissioned this week and would slash electricity and fuel costs for those farmers who no longer had to pump water to their irrigators.

 The Mid Canterbury plains slope down from the foothills to the sea and the turbine generates water pressure through gravity and a five-metre drop.

 Mr van Polanen said the five farmers were not only reducing energy use, but better using the water because it was piped and none lost through evaporation or leakage.

 The turbine structure cost $570,000 and the five farmers will pay for it over 15 years.

 The Ashburton Lyndhurst scheme converted part of its network to pipe 12 months ago and has $60 million plans to improve the whole scheme through a combination of turbines and pipes.

 Though the capital cost of the improvement is high, the saving in energy costs and water is thought to be worth it.

 Scheme shareholders will meet in January to talk about progressing the work.

 “We have the outline of what we think would be the ultimate for the scheme. We have to try and make it affordable and do-able.”

 The Ashburton Lyndhurst scheme provides water to irrigate some 25,500 hectares; it is one of three schemes that draws water from the Rangitata Diversion Race, a 67km canal created 70 years ago to distribute water to the parched plains.

 Mr van Polanen said all farmers were trying to use water more efficiently.

 Piping the scheme last year had led to another 600ha being irrigated with the same water take.

 He hopes Mr Carter will be impressed.

 “The beauty is we can show him this scheme where we are trying to make things happen and up until now it has been farmer driven.

 “Most people don’t understand the efficiency drives we are already making and you can’t make them unless it is viable. I have been here for 22 years and the difference between the way we used to irrigate and what we do today is worlds apart in terms of the savings we have made.

 “We are making better use of it and growing more grass and crops and the yields are far higher.”