BUSINESS water

Local businesses are using grants from the State Government to implement water use efficiency projects, this initiative will support horticultural groundwater users who are subject to the 10% reduction in water abstraction starting in 2028 under the Gnangara Groundwater Allocation Plan.

Words Tina Buckley, Project Officer, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

New guttering collection system for recycling water at Grown Smart, implemented to collect, store and reuse excess irrigation from cucumber crops.

Project 1

GROWN Smart has introduced a water recycling system for their cucumber farm through the Gnangara Horticulture Water Use Efficiency Program. As a Western Australian supplier of 1.2 million cucumbers into market every year, Grown Smart has several production sheds in the Carabooda groundwater subarea.

Initially Grown Smart used an irrigation specialist to provide advice on collecting and reusing water from their production sheds, funded through the Gnangara Horticulture Water Use Efficiency Program. This advice led the company to successfully applying for an infrastructure grant under the same scheme, to implement a system which collects, filters, sterilises, and stores runoff water from the sheds, blending it with fresh water for reuse.

Cucumbers are grown in pots in the production sheds, where excess irrigation water would flow onto the shed floor. Through the project, gutters have been installed under each row of plants, so that this water can be collected, sterilised and reused.

The concept for this innovative project had been visualised for years, brought to fruition through the Gnangara Water Use Efficiency Grants Program and will reduce water use by ~15%.

Project 2

Ms Tha Tran has 5ha property where she grows capsicum, chilli and tomato in the Carabooda groundwater subarea. As a successful applicant of the Gnangara Horticulture Water Use Efficiency Program, Ms Tran has installed a one-hectare net house.

Historically Ms Tran’s unprotected crops have been impacted by sunburn and wind abrasion, high temperatures in summer significantly raising water demand. These conditions have led to quality grading losses of up to 50%.

Ms Tran anticipates that the net house infrastructure will play a key role in reducing water consumption and evaporation, reduced leaching of nutrients and fewer chemicals needed to control pests. Additionally, there will be fewer instances of sunburn and wind abrasion, which should lead to higher proportion of her crops meeting first grade quality criteria and improved business outcomes.

Ms Tran is thankful for the opportunity to build the net house using the support provided through the Gnangara Horticulture Water Use Efficiency Program.

1 ha net house structure built with co-funding under the Gnangara Use Efficiency Grant, to reduce evaporation and crop loss and increase water efficiency.