| 23 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Waitaki: North Otago Irrigation Co Irrigation schemes key to economy Kim Newth The North Otago irrigation scheme is a network of ponds, pump stations and pipes delivering water from the Waitaki River to farm boundaries throughout the area. Without access to reliable irrigation water, the land between Duntroon and Oamaru and south to Herbert could not be productively farmed as it is today. The region’s economy owes much to its local irrigation scheme - an efficiently run network of ponds, pump stations and pipes delivering water from the Waitaki River to farm boundaries throughout the area. to page 24 Managing the valuable water resource is the North Otago Irrigation Company (NOIC), which operates a state-of-the-art pressurised system with more than 200km of pipe in the ground and 16 automated enclosed pumping stations. In 2020-21, the scheme pumped 60 million cubic metres of water to its farmer shareholders. In terms of capacity, the scheme’s eight primary pumps are the largest in the southern hemisphere. “That an irrigation scheme in North Otago has such sophisticated infrastructure always surprises our visitors,” says company chief executive officer Andrew Rodwell, who also serves on IrrigationNZ’s board. This is very much a modern irrigation scheme, established by farmers for farmers, driven by a shared vision to develop a strong, adaptable water infrastructure company to enable reliable farming on excellent soils in what is otherwise a drought-prone area. While the 2021/22 summer irrigation season has been especially wet, it doesn’t alter the reality that North Otago usually has very dry summers. The 2020/21 season saw record volumes of water used and with climate change modelling pointing to a more drought prone future for the South Island’s east coast, the need for water to be well-managed, to permit reliable farming and provide opportunities for land use change, is ever more important. Nationally, this requires a particular focus on storage. Your Complete Engineering Services Workshop 100 Ravensbourne Road, Dunedin, Ph: (03) 471-0516 www.palmersmech.co.nz for further information Proud to provide support services and equipment to North Otago Irrigation - Hydraulic and pneumatic service/sales/repairs/design - EWP certified / maintenance/ servicing /compliance - Full mechanical workshop and breakdown service - Full machining workshop - Heavy and light fabrication - Hydraulic hose and fittings 100 Ravensbourne Road, Dunedin, Ph: (03) 471-0516 www.palmersmech.co.nz for further information
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