Farming and the importance of your own water well

CLIMATE change has affected the market for water-well drilling as more extreme weather conditions in recent summers has made farmers consider having a back-up plan for water. It hasn’t been unusual in recent summers to see farms struggling with limited water supply.

With this in mind, farmers have taken measures to make sure they’ve been prepared for such events, and if you haven’t already done so, it might be time to consider your current situation, particularly if you own a large herd.

For a dairy herd of 100 cows, drilling can cost, on average, somewhere between €5,500 and €6,000, but the savings won’t be long speaking for themselves if you find yourself in weather conditions that would otherwise have posed a massive problem.

You need to base your water-flow rate on the number of cows you have. As a rule of thumb, many companies suggest that you need a water flow of 20 litres per minute for a herd of 100 cattle, with 40 litres per minute needed if you have 200 cattle, and so on.

Depth can also be an issue, but you can take solace from the fact that drilling has improved substantially over the decades, and what was once time-consuming can now be carried out much more quickly and efficiently.

You also need to consider the soil of the site where you hope to drill, as well as planning how to get the drilling machinery on to your farm in a safe and efficient manner. Many pipes in use in Irish farms at the moment are between half an inch and three quarters of an inch thick, and these need to be more than an inch if not an inch and a half to sustain the pressures you will need. Generally, the advice from drilling experts – of which there is no shortage in Cork – and farm organisations is to carry out a survey on your farm to find out exactly what you need and where you currently stand.

IT’S now estimated that there are 30,000 domestic waste water systems in Cork which is a figure that continues to grow in line with rural development and planning.

Environment Protection Agency guidelines introduced some years ago – which must be implemented in conjunction with the local authority - means homeowners with septic tanks, or waste water treatment systems, are obliged under law to keep records of wastewater system maintenance, i.e. to prove the system is being emptied regularly by a registered contractor.

In rural areas septic tanks are naturally more numerous given the remoteness of dwellings and for years septic this was an unregulated situation. Of course this is all fine in cases where a septic tank is working efficiently, but this isn’t always so and it can be a nuisance for householders and the environment. A poorly maintained or neglected septic tank ‘WILL’ cause trouble and it’s better to work with rather than against the problem by having your system cleaned and maintained regularly by a registered waste water contractor.

The general procedure for tank inspections tends to focus mainly in areas that are ‘risk assessed’ under EPA regulations to protect environmentally sensitive locations and each property is randomly chosen within this ‘risk assigned’ area for inspection.

You should have your septic tank emptied by an officially registered contractor at least every two years depending on the amount of usage and efficiency of the percolation area. The new laws also forbid the use of separate soakage pits for wastewater from sinks, showers, washing machines (known as grey water) which may result in you having to get your tank emptied more frequently. There are, however, many ways in which you can help bring a septic tank up to standard.