Jenny Roberts irrigation and dam development, Cromwell
Welded HDPE, geotextile underlay and gas venting
For new cherry growers Jenny Roberts and her daughter Alex, the combination of an irrigation system and a leak-proof dam was needed to give them surety of water supply for their new orchard development.
Jenny planted Staccato and Sweetheart cherries destined for export to China. The five hectare development on stony ground at Queensberry, Cromwell is completely reliant on a robust irrigation system to keep the trees alive in the harsh Central Otago summers.
Initially, Jenny built a clay lined dam but found it leaked, then subsequently called in I.S. Dam Lining to line the 2,800m2 pond with HDPE plastic.
The dam has given the Roberts a guaranteed supply of water which can now be used for both irrigation and under-tree sprinkler frost protection.
