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8 December 2004 FUTURE OF IRRIGATION BELONGS TO TECHNOLOGYMurrumbidgee Irrigation’s $6 million infrastructure investment program will go to tender this month. “The designs for the pressurised pipe systems in Yenda and Stanbridge are in the final stages of completion and will be released for tender later this month,” said Geoff Hipkins, Chief Executive of Murrumbidgee Irrigation. “The decision to move to a piped delivery system follows the success of the trials we ran in Hanwood during the past irrigation seasons. The operational outcomes of the trials demonstrated that the future belongs to the technology based pipeline system we are proposing.” The delivery upgrade program involves replacing open supply channels with high pressure pipes to deliver water to the farm gate. Tenders for construct will be returned to Murrumbidgee Irrigation mid January, and work will commence on the Stanbridge system early February. “This is a commitment to a complete upgrade of the entire Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area horticulture regions,” said Geoff Hipkins. “Here in the MIA we see the effects of drought every day. No one understands the need to improve water efficiencies more than we do.” The systems have been designed by Agrihort who have extensive experience in pipeline design. Murrumbidgee Irrigation recently took a group of irrigators to Boort and Robinvale to inspect systems that have been completed by Agrihort. Mr Hipkins reported, “shareholders and staff were all very impressed with the systems we saw operating. The designs were first rate and it was refreshing to see many of the features we will be employing in our own designs delivering the expected results. “The conversion to a pipeline delivery system is only one aspect of our technology upgrade program,” continued Mr Hipkins. “Murrumbidgee Irrigation has spent $30 million on an extensive winter works program designed to further improve efficiencies of our delivery system. Projects included in that program were regulator upgrades, automation of channel systems, new bridges and culverts and earthworks.” “The upgrade program is expected to deliver considerable water savings. We are considering a number of ways the water savings may be utilised. It’s possible that additional allocation could be provided to irrigators in periods of drought, and in wet years an agreement could be made to return water to the environment. The outcome will be determined by our Directors when the capital works have been completed,” concluded Mr Hipkins. Ends |