Changing climate conditions are creating an increased need to conserve water, especially when it comes to agriculture. The drought problem occurring in many locations worldwide is one example that illustrates this. Here are a few ways that you can get enough water to irrigate crops while conserving water as much as possible in the process.
Irrigation Ponds
There are times where groundwater can be in short supply in a region. When this happens, it's often a good idea to draw water for irrigating crops from a different source. This is both because the groundwater will likely be more expensive during these times, and also because everyone will benefit as a result. One solution for conserving groundwater is using irrigation ponds.
These ponds make it so that you don't have to get water from wells drawing on groundwater. These ponds are specifically constructed to help create freshwater for farms to use. The way this usually works is that first a team of engineers gets permission to select a suitable area of wetland to use.
Then, the engineers can dig a trough around the wetland and take the soil displaced during the dig to create borders for the pond. The engineers can then capture water from local sources like canals to fill up the newly formed pond. This way, the water can be saved for summer months when groundwater is low.
Wastewater Recycling
Another approach for saving groundwater is to reuse groundwater you've already used in the agricultural process. There are a number of different treatments that can allow you to do this. An example of a new one is biological wastewater treatments.
One of these is called "bug farming." Biological approaches to treating wastewater include developing microorganisms that can help destroy some of the dangerous contaminants that might be in wastewater from agricultural processes.
This is especially useful for getting rid of organic waste in the water since these microorganisms can consume anything organic. This is often done through something called an aeration basin that has extra oxygen in the water.
After this process finishes, a final clarifier can catch all microorganisms that you don't want in the final recycled water. This includes those that feed on the organic material. Some of these microorganisms are dumped back into the aeration tanks to start the process over again.
These approaches can help save groundwater for what it may often be needed for more, such as personal drinking water for the local populace. For more information, talk to a professional like Allan's Excavating & Trucking.
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