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Rainwater harvesting on animal farms as a response to the increasing water deficit in agriculture
In the context of growing water scarity in agriculture the harvesting of rainwater from livestock buildings could be seen as a new opportunity. Based on the National Agricultural Census (2020), rainfall data (1991-2020) and the opportunity and investment costs related to the installation purchase, a prognostic analysis was conducted. The analysis revealed the immense potential of farms for rainwater collection. In Poland there are 201,980 cowsheds, 65,088 pigsties and 96,435 poultry houses, representing a total area of 8,820 ha, which allows additionally to retain over 41 million m3 of water per year. This amount will cover only 15% of the livestock total water demand. It should be noted that the average economic efficiency (EF) value for the entire country was 81.6%, and the differences in the analyzed animal groups reached a moderate level (CV=14.7%±0.1 depending on the groups). The unit price of tap water was the main determinant of the highest EF of investment in rainwater harvesting (RWH) in particular voivodeships.
Opłacalność systemu pobierania wody deszczowej na działce : Co oznacza dla nas zmiana klimatu?, cz. 5
Retencja rozproszona jako element dywersyfikacji w łagodzeniu rosnącego deficytu wody w rolnictwie
A New Concept of Flashboard Risers in Controlled Drainage Structures
Drainage water management (DWM), also known as controlled drainage (CD), is one of the edge-of-field strategies mainly designed to reduce the nitrate load from subsurface drainage systems. By limiting runoff, we also increase local retention, contributing to the sustainable management of water resources. For that purpose, CD involves using different kinds of controlled drainage devices. They are usually based on simple flashboard risers or stop-logs that regulate the drainage intensity by raising and lowering the drainage outlet. The problem with this type of device is the need for manual control, which can cause the CD system to be more demanding in terms of maintenance. A new approach to water management by CD allows the possibility of individual disassembly of each board without necessarily removing all of them. Thanks to the use of sideling runners, the water management process is much quicker. This is especially important when a farmer needs to manage water in a few controlled drainage devices in the field. The different variants of the design are shown here, as well as the way of stop-log assembly and control and the costs of maintaining similar devices. The advantages and disadvantages are described, and the usefulness of the new patented solution is assessed.
Impact of Water Meadow Restoration on Forage Hay Production in Different Hydro-Meteorological Conditions: A Case Study of Racot, Central Poland
Water meadows in river valleys are a source of very valuable forage. Due to their specificity, an appropriate approach to water management is required. This study assessed the impact of the reclamation of a traditional gravity irrigation system, aimed at saving and reducing water loss from meadows through controlled drainage. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the investment in drainage system restoration in the context of improving the yield of fodder hay in water meadows under changing hydrometeorological conditions. The analysis was performed on the basis of meteorological and hydrological data from 30 years in the period 1989–2018. The research was conducted on the basis of two assumptions. The first concerned management of meadows without the use of subsoil irrigation based only on the amount of water supplied from rainfall. The second variant assumed deficit irrigation based on periodic water meadows with systems of ditches and drainage channels that supplied water depending on the currently available amount of water in a nearby river. The field research was performed during the crop season of 2019 and 2020. Drainage restoration investment allowed the amount of water supplied to the meadows to be increased. In the analysed period, on average, almost 30 mm of water was delivered through the ditch system. There was also an increase in hay yields of 32%. However, the investment costs, which amounted to EUR 23,382.48, were too high for this type of farm production. A positive net present value (NPV) was obtained only for 25% of cases of hydrometeorological conditions (first quartile). For the other years, the investment was not profitable.
Classification issues of drained organic soils in relation to selected features of soil water regime: A case study from central Poland
Budowa systemu pobierania wody deszczowej - jaki zbiornik wybrać? : Co oznacza dla nas zmiana klimatu?, cz. 3
A Study on Improving Economy Efficiency of Pumping Stations Based on Tariff Changes
In this paper, research on improving the economic efficiency of 38 drainage pumping stations was undertaken. Particular attention was paid to the effectiveness of activities without considering any expenditures. Energy costs for this type of machine are usually high, approximately 45% of the total maintenance cost. The main assumption of this work was the selection of appropriate energy tariffs to reduce operating costs. Liquid transport in any economy consumes significant amounts of electricity, estimated at 20–30% of the total electricity production. The optimization of the energy consumption of pumping processes is, therefore, very important. While analyzing the choice of energy tariffs, we designed profitability ratios (PR) specifically for different daily time zones. With the forecasted distribution of energy demands for different daily time zones (usually 2 or 3 zones), it was possible to compare multi-zone tariffs with 24 h tariffs. The profitability of the tariffs was decided by the value of the PR indicator. The lower, the better. In practice, this meant that the analyzed multi-zone tariffs, in most cases, are more profitable compared to single-zone tariffs. In the Polish energy system, each entrepreneur, depending on the connection power, has a right to choose a particular energy tariff from three tariff groups, i.e., high (A), medium (B), and low (C) voltage. In the case of land reclamation pumping stations, energy tariffs are usually from groups B and C. The choice of tariffs largely depends on the contracted capacity and is determined by tariff regulation. Nowadays, the current energy system forces entrepreneurs to declare a connected power load at the level corresponding to the maximum use of the production potential. Lack of knowledge of the hydrological regime, quite common for land reclamation pumping stations, usually results in overestimating the contracted capacity. When comparing the effect of changing tariffs, it was found that the profitability of this method is significant. The four-year study period (2010–2013) showed that active energy in the multi-part tariffs of groups B and C is on average 10.2% cheaper than in the single-part tariffs and varies in a wide range from 2% to 20.4%. The analysis carried out on 38 drainage pumping stations shows that for only five pumping stations could changing the current tariff be unjustified. In the other cases, the four years of analysis demonstrates that changing the current energy tariff could reduce electricity costs by approximately 5%., i.e., approximately PLN 124,000 per year (approximately EUR 27,000).
Budowa systemu pobierania wody deszczowej na działce : Co oznacza dla nas zmiana klimatu?, cz. 4
Application of Simple Crested Weirs to Control Outflows from Tiles Drainage
Triangular sharp-crested weirs are commonly used to measure low-flow measurements in open channels. The flow over such a V-notch is proportional to the height of water above the weir on the upstream side. Therefore, it is relatively easy to calculate the flow from standard equations by using only recordings of water levels. Thus, these types of weirs can provide inexpensive measurements of flow volumes and resulting nutrient loads from subsurface drainage systems and associated conservation practices. The objective of this study was to develop appropriate weir equations for a 22.5° V-notch weir developed for a new tubular water level control structure in a controlled drainage system (CD). Analyses using this weir, with three typical slope angles of 30°, 45°, and 60°, were also conducted. There were no significant differences in the fitted parameters across the three analyzed slope angles. The coefficient of determination (R2) values were 0.9955, 0.9981, and 0.9980, respectively. However, the best-fitted equation for a 22.5° V-notch weir was for a slope angle of 45°. The flow equation was Q = 0.2235H2.4182, with Q in liters per minute and H in centimeters. This equation can be used for measuring flow through tubular-controlled drainage structures.