WaterTrack Optimiser™ is a comprehensive water balance model which enables a farmer to track where their precious water is being used:

growing the crop,

evaporation and seepage in the soil,

evaporation and seepage in channels and drains, and

evaporation and seepage from farm dams.

Once the model is setup key infrastructure and management changes can be modeled such as:

Splitting a large storage into two cells

Purchasing an additional water license

Only watering fields close to the storage to limit transmission losses

Clay lining a storage to reduce seepage

Purchasing extra land

Importantly WaterTrack Optimiser will show the benefit in both Volume of Water & Extra Production.

The simulation capabilities allow you to predict forward by modeling a scenario using historical weather data from any year – Wet, Dry, or Average.

This allows important decisions to be made ahead of time before they become critical. Decisions such as:

How much should I plant?

How much water do I need?

What is the benefit of purchasing an extra water license?

What impacts will water reforms have on my productivity?

The season is tougher than expected. Will I make to harvest? Should I plough in some of my crop?

How can I maximize PROFIT PER MEGELITRE?

WATERTRACK Optimiser™ calculates crop water use and evaporation based on climatic data, green area for fields, lengths and top water widths for canals and drains and surface areas for storages. Evaporation, seepage and run-off from soils is based on a multi-layer bucket type soil model for each soil type. Seepage losses in channels, drains and storages can be measured or estimated. Irrimate™ Seepage & Evaporation Meters are available for hire to measure these characteristics.

Flows onto the farm are metered and storage depths, volume and surface areas are measured using gauge boards or specialised Irrimate™ Storage Meters.

		A scanned or digital farm map is imported. The locations of supply channels and tailwater drains are highlighted on the map.

		Each of these is broken up into segments and details entered for: top width at normal operating depth, normal operating depth, and length is defined, as well as steady-state seepage rates (mm/day).

		The fields to be irrigated are defined field sizes are defined. soil types for each field and each element are defined from a selected list or individually entered.

		The segments of the supply and drainage system needed to irrigate and drain each field is defined and activated each time the field is irrigated. Any inflow of water to the farm is defined in volume and real time.

		Each storage is defined: capacity to depth, storage area to depth, soil type and seepage rate, measured or estimated evaporation factor, inflow capacity, starting capacity.

		Pump Location entry points for water inflow are defined. each pump is located and capacities defined.

		The starting date and initial conditions are defined. All irrigation events are entered in real time along with siphon numbers and size, average head and setting duration or volume applied.

		Real time climatic data is imported and the program calculates daily for each segment of each element: initial fill including soil wetup, evaporation, seepage, volume returned to storage.

		Crop water use is also calculated daily as is the soil moisture status of the root zone.

		Any irrigation volume applied in excess of soil root zone deficit then runs to both the tailwater return system and deep drainage according to the saturated permeability of the defined soil type.

		Water is allocated to: crop consumption, seepage, or evaporation from each element.

		For the real time period selected the program will report where water is consumed by each element including the crop. At the end of the period it will report the modelled storage volume which can then be checked against the actual measured volume.

		Calibration - if the variables selected for: evaporation factors, seepage rates, soil types, and crop factors are right, the modelled and actual remaining storage volumes will be very close to the same. The model is now calibrated to your farm.

		Normally for the first couple of events there will need to be adjustments to the variables to produce a balance. The first step is to adjust variables by “gut feeling”. A better method is to use the Irrimate™ range of equipment to measure the variables.