DELTA water system ‘game changer’ in drought

A Victorian tree grower relying on river and bore water during one of the area’s most serious droughts says water treatment company DELTAwater solutions has been a ‘game changer’ for his business.

South West Advanced Trees owner David Winters said reduced water quality due to drought conditions meant he was facing tough decisions. This included dropping some of his specialised tree varieties such as maples and birch.

Discovering the chemical and power-free water treatment systems manufactured by Newcastle-based company DELTAwater solutions has turned things around.

“Thanks to DELTAwater I can keep growing these more sensitive trees and I have confidence going forward that I have access to better quality water,” David says.

“I’ve recommended them to others – their water treatment products could be a real game changer for the nursery industry.”

Based at Allansford, South West Advanced Trees relies on river and bore water to irrigate advanced screening, feature, deciduous, weeping, hedging and standard trees and Australian native trees. They supply nurseries, landscapers, developers and other industry professionals.

David said the biggest problem from the drought was the extreme hardness of both their river and bore water.

“In our business, there’s a lot more to growing trees than just sprinkling the water around,” he said.

He started testing his water supplies from the Hopkins River and a bore earlier this year to track the quality and discovered increasing levels of iron and salt.

“We have been testing the water quality every three months of each water source and as the water levels reduced, the salt, iron, calcium and overall hardness climbed.”

He was shandying the river and bore water but knew this was not going to provide the solution he needed.

“When it started to become a real issue we contacted our local pumps and irrigation agent, Midland Irrigation, who recommended DELTAwater solutions.”

He said the DELTAwater system appealed to him because it doesn’t require power and is easy to install. He also likes that they provide a customised product based on water test results.

“We’ve now got our DELTA all set up and doing its job, and are pleased to know we can continue doing what we do best without worrying about our water,” he said.

For more than 32 years, Australian company DELTAwater solutions has been supporting agriculture by enabling the industry to maximise water resources through its chemical-free water treatment systems. Their products overcome problems caused by salinity, iron, algae and calcium-scale in bore, river, dam and town water supplies.

• DELTAwater solutions water treatment systems are eligible for government drought-support grants including the PIRSA On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Rebate Scheme and the Victorian Government’s On Farm Drought Infrastructure Scheme. Speak to your pumps and irrigation agent or rural advisor to apply.