MAIT system now being used to automate irrigation on mine sites
Environmental monitoring, management and accountability are factors that form an integral component of the day to day operations of mine sites, and are some of the most important variables that need to considered, planned and submitted for the successful development of new sites.
One area of management that MAIT Industries has been involved with has been that of managing irrigation for the reuse of tailing water on a mine site. Changes to land management practices stipulated that there should not be any leaching of tailing water applied through irrigation (below 400mm) to pasture and woodlands surrounding the mine site.
MAIT Industries was contracted to supply and install a system that would monitor soil moisture and weather data, and automate irrigation events based on soil moisture conditions . The aim of the project was to maximise the amount of reuse water applied to pastures and woodlands through sustainable irrigation practices, and managing the system to reduce the leaching of irrigation water below 400mm.
At each valve, our field radio control and monitoring boards were installed, with soil moisture probes. At the office, a PC was installed with a radio link to each of the field sites, weather station, pumps and flow meters. iNTELLiPUMP control program and iNTELLiGRAPH data management program were installed on the PC. Data from the probes was collected and analysed to establish the correct moisture levels upon which to initiate (dry point) and cease (wet point) irrigation events in order to maximise the volume of water applied through the irrigation system, whilst reducing drainage of irrigation water below 400mm.
It did take a few months of data collection and analysis to determine the correct moisture settings, however, now that these levels have been established, the system is monitoring, managing and automating the irrigation programs efficiently and sustainably.
