Blair and Deanne Percy dairy farm effluent pond and spreader system, Masterton
Welded HDPE and geotextile
Installing a farm dairy effluent system that complied with national standards to future proof their business was the aim of Masterton dairy farming couple Blair and Deanne Percy.
Building the new shed meant the Percy’s were unable to discharge effluent onto their existing effluent area; IS Dam Lining Ltd worked with them to apply for a consent from the Greater Wellington Regional Council to create a new system.
The 600 cows are milked for around 300 days a year, and the new system allows effluent to be irrigated over 56 hectares by a travelling irrigator. Effluent leaves the shed and is collected via a stone trap and sump before going to the effluent pond.
Blair and Deanne were aware of the possible risk dairying can have if not managed correctly.
IS Dam Lining Ltd was briefed by the Percy’s to effectively take all precautions to mitigate any risk posed by their farming activities to groundwater quality in the area. The new system complied with the water accord’s recommendations for 90 day effluent storage with monitoring to ensure there is no irrigation to run off. The Massey University pond calculator was able to analyse the last 30 years of rainfall data and provide calculations on the maximum pond size required based on the depth of application and the volume of effluent discharged. Deferred storage was needed to avoid run-off.
A lined pond with leak detection was essential to prove no leachates from the farm dairy effluent. I.S. Dam Lining Ltd was employed to design and install the pond. An HDPE synthetic liner was used and a concrete ramp was integrated into the pond to ensure ease of servicing.
