Automated Subsurface Drainage Management System to Reduce Costs and Downstream Environmental Impact

Subsurface drainage is essential for sustainable agriculture. In many areas shallow water tables and soil salinisation require the use of engineered subsurface drainage to lower water tables and provide for leaching of the root zone. However, this drainage water is often highly saline and disposal is problematic. Disposal to river systems has negative effects on downstream water quality and this option is becoming highly restricted in Australia. In some situations such as the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area new subsurface drainage systems are required to dispose of drainage water into evaporation basins to protect downstream users water quality. In order to meet disposal restrictions and the constraint of using evaporation basins a fully automated subsurface drainage system 'manager' has been developed. This manages subsurface drainage systems to minimise salt loads and pumping costs and meet disposal constraints. This example is for a fully automated system that will manage farm horizontal pipe subsurface drainage systems that incorporate the use of an evaporation basin for saline drainage disposal.