Water treatment solutions for ag at AgQuip

For more than 32 years, Australian company DELTAwater solutions has underpinned the success of large-scale irrigation and food producers through its customised, chemical-free water treatment systems.

Alex and Dianne Panov started DELTAwater solutions in Newcastle in 1993 and distribute their products across Australia and overseas to countries including Egypt, China, the UK, Italy, Canada and New Zealand.

DELTAwater conditioners are power, maintenance and chemical free and treat unlimited volumes of water. They overcome problems associated with salinity, scale build-up caused by calcium and magnesium, water hardness, iron, and corrosion.

South Australian irrigator Mark Pridham turned to DELTAwater solutions in 2009 to tackle bore water quality issues including calcium-scale, salinity and iron.

Mark grows potatoes, clover seed and lucerne. His confidence in the DELTA water treatment system over the past 16 years has led to him installing more units, with almost 100% of his land now irrigated with DELTA-treated bore water.

Mark farms in the mid-southeast, and his bore water has high levels of calcium carbonate, iron and sodium chloride. While crop rotations and added organic matter and clay helped counteract soil problems, Mark turned to DELTAwater solutions as another way to boost his crops.

“Straight away the infiltration improved, the water was soaking in a lot better on our undulating country with less run off and rutting in the wheel tracks,” Mark says.

Despite summer temperatures of up to 45 degrees and low rainfall seasons, Mark’s clover and potato crops watered by DELTA-treated water continue to return solid yields.

“With the DELTA units, I’ve grown spuds on marginal land with yields average to above average and really good quality. The water conditioners have also helped reduce the scale build-up in pipes and friction loss.”

Steven McCracken, who farms a 5000-hectare property on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, says his DELTA conditioner rapidly cleared a ‘frustrating’ build-up of minerals that blocked his main stock-irrigation pipe.

“I had sheep and cattle drinking on the line and I was not getting enough water through the system. I put my DELTA unit on and it unblocked the pipe within days. It was a great relief,” he said.

Torrens Valley Orchards in SA, one of Australia’s largest cherry growers, has a similar success story after installing a DELTA Bore Hole Unit to treat their pipes and pumps which were blocking with iron. Within three months their pumps and pipes were clear and have remained that way ever since.

• DELTAwater will be offering a free basic water testing service at AgQuip. Bring your water sample to Site D/27b.