Western Queensland

The North Australian Pastoral Company’s Monkira Station will be demonstrating technologies addressing evaporation, renewable energy and remote monitoring of water points cut off during the wet.

The project’s monitoring on Monkira Station covers costs, reliability and benefits of new water technologies installed.  This includes solar pumping, evaporation control cover, seepage control liner, new water points and a telemetry system monitoring water levels, flow rates, solar and diesel pump automation and a remote camera.

The expected benefits from the new infrastructure are more effective water usage and better economic, production and sustainable outcomes.

Field Day

Field/Demonstration day at Monkira Station was held on Friday 4th April 2008.

On Monkira Station we are using the following equipment from project partners: 

Dinocrete concrete cattle troughs
Observant telemetry system
Grundfos Solar pumps installed by Aqua pumping & Solar
Darling Downs Tarpaulins Liner and Evap-Cap evaporation cover
Bushman Tanks supplied by Outback Aqua

   

Project partners Aqua Pumping and Solar have installed Grundfos solar pumping systems on three locations:

Jenny’s dam - 23m³ per day.  Total head 7 metres (Actyal 23m³ -27m³ per day) Pump will be powered by 3 hi-voltage 80 watt panels on a stationary array frame and will have the facility to be powered by a 240 volt generator in cases of prolonged cloudy weather or a higher than normal demand and will have an automatic start and stop which will be controlled by a float valve in the poly tank.  Water will be pumped through 50mm PN 6.3 poly pipe from dam to tank and then gravity fed in 63mm poly to 16ft dinocrete cattle trough watering an average of 500 head of steers.

    

Clarrys & Pelicans- 12.5m³ per day. Total head 7 metres (Actyal 13.1m³ -15m³ per day) Pump will  be powered by 2 hi-voltage 80 watt panels and will have the facility to be powered by a 240 volt generator in cases of prolonged cloudy weather or a higher than normal demand and will have an automatic start and stop which will be controlled by a float valve in the poly tank.  Water will be pumped through 50mm PN 6.3 poly pipe from dam to tank and then gravity fed in 63mm poly to 16ft dinocrete cattle trough watering an average of 250 head of steers.

  

Equipment installation 

			The liner is being installed at Carbine’s by DDT staff, Monkira staff and project officer.

Evaporation/Seepage control 

Project partner Darling Downs Tarpaulins have supplied and installed with the assistance of Monkira Staff and Project officer Colleen James,  the 0.75mm thick Geomembrane -Enviro Liner 6030 to demonstrate seepage control, the Enviro Liner is lining the interior of Carbine’s nest eliminating seepage.  Carbine’s is be monitored for evaporation rates.  The purpose of the liner is to reduce water losses through seepage and extend the life of the available water, utilising available feed and increasing production.

In an effort to maximise the life of the dam and increase production by utilising available feed, a cover has been installed to reduce evaporation losses.  DDT have also supplied and installed with the assistance of Monkira station staff and project officer an E-Vap Cap® floating cover fabricated using light impervious polyethylene.  The cover’s black underside provides floatation and stops light penetration, while the upper surface deflects the heat from the sun.  Both layers are UV stabilised and designed to reduce evaporation to an absolute minimum.  The cover is over Pullawarra’s Turkey nest and is being monitored.

			The cover is being installed at Pullawarra by DDT staff, Monkira staff and project officer.

 

Field unit sends data back to homestead	Water level sensor in turkey's nest	Flow meters measure water used and shows any trough leaks, etc

Remote monitoring

As Monkira Station is located on the Diamantina, many water points are cut off during the wet. The Observant telemetry system has been installed to monitor these locations.

 

With a base unit and software package, Anthony Desreaux (manager) and staff can check waters, turn on pumps, take photos and check rainfall from the office computer.

 

Rain gauge at Pullawarra measures any rainfall in the south east corner of the property.	DDT has supplied the endeavour anti-bird cover for the aerial to stop cocky damage.	Carbines turkey nest has a camera monitoring the trough as well as level sensor and flow meter.	Observant technician Giles Gibson installs a level sensor in Boundary tank.

 

Flow sensor shows that the pump is pumping.	Fuel shut-off solenoid allows for remote start/stop of motor.	RPM sensor records motor speeds.

 

 

Motor controller is powered by solar and operated through the C1unit. The pump is activated from the homestead. The water level sensors in the Bushmans tanks allow staff to activate the pump when needed. The flow meter on the outlet pipe of the tanks measures the water used and identifies any leaks in the pipe or trough.

Water running over and damaging the wall of a turkey's nest can prove to be a costly problem, but with the telemetry system warning of a high water level, Monkira staff were able to repair the blocked flow immediately.

“I have been able to become aware of problems at the watering points much earlier,” says Anthony Desreaux, manager of NAPCo’s Monkira Station. “The computer feedback told me that the water levels were high at Sallen turkey’s nest and I investigated and discovered a blocked flow that had not been noticed on the previous water run.

“Having the information sooner and going out to take action saved both time and money, as left another day it would have started running over and damaging the turkey's nest wall.”

Being better equipped to monitor grazing pressure on different watering points and reducing environmental impacts are some of the benefits Anthony expects to receive with the technology installed.

“All in all, the telemetry is working well and likewise the liner at Carbines,” says Anthony. The add-ons to the Observant system - for example: rain gauge, camera, etc - make this an extremely versatile and useful technology.”