02 01
AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE
for ON-FARM IRRIGATION
ABOUT this code
This irrigation code was
developed to provide
guidelines for irrigators and
those servicing irrigators on
developing a new irrigation
system or upgrading an
ISBN 0 7347 1181 6
Published 2001
existing one. It makes
recommendations for:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ■ planning
Development of the code was supported by
the Murray Darling Basin Commission (MDBC), ■ design
the Irrigation Association of Australia (IAA)
and NSW Agriculture. The project team ■ installation and
included Jeremy Cape (project manager),
Enyo Agbodo, Anne Currey, Adrian Giffen, commissioning, and
Jolanta Kossowski and Ailsa Willis. The code
could not have been completed without the ■ operation and
support of the irrigators and service
personnel who attended the workshops in maintenance of irrigation
Mildura, Echuca and Narrabri. systems.
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CODE
The main aim of the
This code was developed in a series of
guidelines is to encourage
workshops at which people from various more efficient and
sectors of the irrigation industry made
recommendations for its content. cost-effective use of irrigation
The companion to this booklet, Australian resources.
Code of Practice for On-farm Irrigation:
expanded edition for service providers, lists
irrigation standards and codes applying to
sections of this code. It was prepared in a
global search for standards on all aspects of
on-farm irrigation. It provides references for
irrigation engineering practice and product
performance.
Editorial assistance: P. Marr, NSW Agriculture
Design: N. Parker, NSW Agriculture (WW0126)
Photography: A. Manciagli, Gecko PhotoGraphics
Why develop an Skills required
irrigation code? The industry understands that standards
and codes for the various activities and
As the largest user of water in Australia, the
equipment used in irrigation systems are
irrigation industry understands that it has an
only useful if appropriately skilled people
obligation to manage water in a responsible
apply them.
manner and to recognise the rights of other
users. Adopting a code of practice for This code also outlines the skills required
irrigation is a way for members of the during the various phases of planning,
irrigation industry to demonstrate their designing, installing and commissioning
responsible attitude towards land and water and operating and maintaining an
resources, and to show that their practice irrigation system. These skills are also
matches or exceeds accepted community required when an upgrade to an existing
values. system is planned.
Vocational training in recent years has
What is the code? been based on achievement of competency
standards. Competency standards for
This code is a written statement of the irrigation being prepared by the Rural
minimum desirable practices and actions to Training Council of Australia will detail the
undertake when developing a new irrigation skills required within the irrigation
system or renovating an existing system. industry in all aspects of irrigation
The code presents practices of an acceptable management.
standard, given the current state of Irrigators should also be aware of the
knowledge. industry certification programs run by the
This code applies only to the on-farm sector Irrigation Association of Australia Ltd that
of the industry and does not cover off-farm certify irrigation designers. Certification
irrigation water delivery systems. programs for installers and managers are
currently being developed.
Are these guidelines
compulsory?
How to use this code
This document (the code) is not a regulation.
It recognises the right of irrigators to make The code deals with a range of irrigation
their own business decisions, provided these system types, and not all comments will be
decisions comply with legal requirements, relevant to every application.
regulations and industry standards. These When developing a new system or
decisions should also comply with principles upgrading an existing system, the irrigator
of preserving natural resources. or industry operator can select the items
On the other hand it is recommended that needed for the particular situation from
every irrigator take this code into account the checklist of processes and activities.
because it is likely that following these
guidelines will result in more profitable
irrigation enterprises.
GENERAL EDITION 3
PLANNING an irrigation system
T Contents of the plan
he first step for the irrigator in
developing a new irrigation
system, or upgrading an
This is a typical outline for an irrigation
existing system, is to prepare a
development plan. Risk analysis is needed on all
comprehensive plan.
these issues.
A plan ensures that all issues are
considered before money and resources Economic and financial issues
are committed. The plan may also be
■ a market analysis for the crop or crops to be
required for the following purposes:
grown
✔ to provide a detailed brief for the
■ a detailed business plan including a financial
designer of the irrigation system
plan for the development with cash flow, risk
✔ as supporting documentation to analysis and funding arrangements
justify purchase or transfer of water
licences Legal and regulatory issues
✔ to demonstrate compliance with any
■ a list of local and State statutory requirements
regulatory requirements
and clearances (for example restrictions on
✔ to support applications to banks or clearing vegetation, appropriate land title, or
other sources of finance land use restrictions) and how the plan meets
✔ to support compliance with a Land the requirements
and Water Management Plan (LWMP) ■ evidence that the proposed irrigated enterprise
or an Environmental Management can be operated within all relevant laws
System (EMS)
■ evidence of compliance with local and state
✔ to obtain local government planning guidelines for the disposal of drainage water
permit
■ approvals process, and the time it requires
✔ to meet irrigation development
■ land ownership rights
guidelines imposed by statutory
authorities
Environmental issues
Enough detail should be included to ■ description of high conservation value areas
provide accurate information to the and remnant native vegetation or rare and
system designer so that a water- endangered species
efficient and economically feasible
design can be prepared that is suitable ■ condition of natural watercourses that might
for the plants to be irrigated in the be used for drainage discharge or as a source of
planned location. water
■ distance from towns or settlements that could
The plan should cover economic and be affected by the development
financial, legal and regulatory,
environmental, property, water, ■ assessment of the long-term sustainability of
agronomic and human resource issues. the development
■ hydrogeological surveys, covering depth and
quality of groundwater and subsoil
permeability
■ evidence of compliance with EMS, LWMPs, and
strategies
4 AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ON-FARM IRRIGATION
Property issues Human resources
■ location of the property ■ skill level of available workforce
■ property plan ■ availability of labour and resources to
■ existing infrastructure, roads, lanes, operate the proposed system
drains, electricity and buildings ■ how design and contracting will be managed
Water supply and
drainage issues Help from the irrigation
■ water ownership rights service industries
■ legal availability, physical access,
annual allocation, reliability and A range of skills is required for the successful
permissible rate of extraction development and commissioning of an irrigation
■ licence requirements system (see the table of skills on page 11). It is
the responsibility of the irrigator to check that
■ capital and annual cost of water supply people they contract actually have the required
and drainage disposal skills.
■ source of water
The skills could be held by a number of
■ quality of supply different professionals, and the particular
■ supply storage requirements profession which has these skills may vary from
■ subsurface and surface drainage place to place. For example, in one area an
■ capacity of drainage disposal facilities engineering practice that specialises in
irrigation development may have within the
■ quality of drainage water
practice many of the skills required. This does
■ recycling and recirculating systems not mean that all engineering practices will
retain the appropriate skills.
Agronomic issues Irrigators who are planning and supervising
■ suitability of crop type for the land use, development work need to know each of the
for example land capability, soil types, skills required so that they can find a suitably
and local growing conditions qualified person. People working on an
■ crop water requirements at this location irrigation development should be able to
■ soil infiltration rates and system demonstrate their competence to undertake the
application rate tasks in several ways including formal
qualifications, previous track record and
■ crop rotations
industry certification.
■ production system
■ topography
■ local climate including rainfall,
evaporation, variability, occurrence of
frosts and other climatic data
GENERAL EDITION 5
Who can help with economic Who can help with
and financial planning? resource planning?
Irrigators may need to source suitably
qualified technical people to draw up Surveyors
comprehensive budgets for the crops to be
People with surveying skills can check
grown and for the overall development.
property boundaries and topographic details.
These people need demonstrated expertise
in financial analysis and budgeting, Hydrologists and
including cash flow and funding hydrogeologists
requirements. These skills might be found
in a number of organisations and in both Government authorities, hydrologists,
the public and private sectors. Potential hydrogeologists and other natural resource
sources of this expertise include farm planners can help research and measure
management consultants, accountants, water aspects such as:
government departments and consulting ■ availability of water both underground
engineers amongst others. and surface
■ variability of water supply
Who can help with ■ quality of water supply and its variability
compliance issues for the ■ drainage management including disposal
development? ■ potential impact on underground water
■ potential impact of floods
Practitioners require the ability to collect
all the relevant information and analyse
possible effects on the irrigation
Agronomists
development. Competency must be ■ collect and analyse weather and climate
demonstrated in an ability to review each information for the location
of the following areas: ■ undertake soil surveys detailing range and
type of soil types present in the crop
Legal rootzones, including key data such as
■ all legal issues relating to the planned waterholding capacity, and physical and
system chemical characteristics
■ local, State and national government ■ estimate leaching fraction and check soil
regulations profile can manage this, including rainfall
■ relate the crop requirements including
Environmental nutrient, water, pest and weed
management to the local conditions in
■ environmental factors that might be
the short and long term.
affected by the development, for
example drainage disposal (surface and
subsurface), salinity, EMS compliance,
flora and fauna
■ heritage and conservation values for
the location
6 AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ON-FARM IRRIGATION
DESIGNING an irrigation system
T What the design contains:
he basis of an efficient and
cost-effective irrigation
system is the design. The
The designer should specify the following information:
designer will use the following
information to determine the ✔ physical layout: supply, application, drainage, and
capacity of the system: stormwater control infrastructure and reuse structures
■ maximum crop water demand ✔ specification of components and their installation
■ waterholding capacity of the soil ✔ operating schedule of the system and any constraints
■ maximum available annual and ✔ degree of automation
extractive water supply, whether ✔ energy requirements and energy source
from a stream, a storage, a ✔ fertigation and filtration requirements
supply channel or a bore
✔ system application rate and uniformity of application
■ leaching fraction required
✔ estimated life of the system (according to
■ frost protection requirements manufacturer’s specifications)
The design and choice of irrigation ✔ detailed costings of components and labour required
system will take into account to install, operate and maintain the system
constraints including: ✔ methodology to monitor the system and its
■ topography of property environment
■ human resources to operate the ✔ potential for staged development and order of
system efficiently and correctly construction
■ environment of the farm such as ✔ commissioning procedures
the proximity to towns and
presence of native vegetation Designer’s skills
and habitat
■ water supply characteristics: Designing an irrigation system requires a high level of
quality, quantity, frequency and skill and a professional approach. Working from the
security information gathered during the planning phase, the
irrigation designer must be able to:
■ occupational health and safety
issues ■ understand and work within the constraints of the
business plan
■ legal and regulatory
requirements of the irrigation ■ understand and use all surveys including soil,
system including stormwater hydrogeology and topographic surveys
retention system, capacity and ■ understand a range of technical issues, including
management hydraulics, soils, agronomy, hydrology, hydrogeology
■ expansion strategy and engineering
■ system flexibility ■ design the irrigation system so that it delivers the
correct amount of water to the plants at the
■ automation
required times
■ money required to build, operate
■ communicate and work closely with the client
and maintain the system
selected and cost comparison Irrigation designers demonstrate their competence
with other systems through successful practical experience, formal
qualifications and/or industry certification.
GENERAL EDITION 7
INSTALLATION and commissioning
T Checks during installation
he next task is to ensure that the
system is installed and operates in
the way in which it has been During installation the property manager or
designed. This requires close cooperation other responsible person should perform an
between the property manager, designer on-going audit to ensure all design
and the contractors installing the system. specifications and regulations are met. The
It is in the best interests of all parties to following checks should be made regularly
ensure an appropriate contract is throughout construction:
prepared.
✔ whether all products meet appropriate
product standards;
Preparing the contract ✔ whether all construction complies with all
regulations, including engineering design
specifications, and environmental and
The basis of the contract to install and
occupational health and safety
commission the system is an agreed
requirements;
schedule for the installation that specifies
the costs, time frame (including seasonal ✔ whether appropriate disease prevention
factors), payment schedule, deliveries of measures are being taken.
product, responsibilities, construction
management and reasons for possible After installation and
variations, and a termination process. (An commissioning
Australian standard contract is available
from Standards Australia, and a standard Following the completion of the installation
irrigation contract is available from the the contractor should provide a complete
Irrigation Association of Australia.) record of work that includes:
In the contract it is important to specify ■ a commissioning report
whether the contractor is contracted to ■ an accurate plan of the system as built,
the designer or to the owner. The contract showing ‘as installed’ variations from the
should also specify the party responsible original design
for compliance with all relevant legal
■ written operating instructions and manuals
requirements.
■ a maintenance schedule for the proper
Before the contractor starts installing maintenance of all structures and
works, the property manager should equipment.
provide all relevant property information
to ensure timely and efficient completion Where appropriate the installing contractor
of the installation. This information and/or the designer should operate the system
should include an accurate plan of the for an agreed commissioning period to ensure
existing farm infrastructure detailing the that the system operates to specification. This
location of services such as electricity and period should ideally be covered by a
telephone. warranty. The warranty may extend beyond
the commissioning period.
The contractor is responsible for disease
and pest control and ensuring the correct If necessary, the contractor should arrange for
sterilisation of all equipment when training of key staff to ensure correct
moving from property to property. operation of all equipment.
8 AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ON-FARM IRRIGATION
Contractor’s skills Technical skills
■ ability to interpret plans
It is the owner’s/irrigator’s responsibility to
■ understanding and familiarity with
ensure that the contractor can demonstrate
product installation requirements
the skills required to build and install the
system specified. ■ knowledge of all skills required for
installing the designed system. These
Contractors are required to install and skills include knowledge of pipe joining
commission most irrigation systems, except and material handling, and of electrical,
those where minor upgrades or very simple hydraulic, mechanical, earthmoving,
systems are being installed. In instances construction and concreting skills
where the operator of the system also installs
■ ability to identify and deal with any
the system, skills in the same general
environmental impacts during system
categories are required. The skill level must
installation
be appropriate for the scale of system being
installed. The specific knowledge will differ for each
system.
A contractor typically needs business and
technical skills.
Business and financial
management
■ manage finances and cash of the
contracting business
■ manage licensing requirements of staff
(such as heavy vehicle licences)
■ comply with all occupational health and
safety requirements
■ meet all legal obligations associated with
maintaining the contracting business
■ identify all legal issues associated with
irrigation system developments such as
water storage and drainage
■ communication and liaison skills
■ project management skills including task
prioritisation within time frames and staff
Keep planning on a broad front.
management
Identify any factors which might
slow or halt progress.
Return and reassess previous
assumptions and alter as
necessary.
GENERAL EDITION 9
OPERATION and maintenance
M
anagement, operation and maintenance Maintenance manual
of the installed system is the key to
cost-effective lifelong water application. A system maintenance manual should include:
A system that has been designed and built as a ■ a service manual and parts book
water-efficient system must be operated ■ a schedule of maintenance and replacement that
correctly if it is to demonstrate its efficiency. specifies the frequency of inspection
Correct operation and maintenance of an and service for all elements of the system
irrigation system requires an understanding and Maintenance records as well as financial
application of basic irrigation principles: records of costs to operate and maintain the system
✔ Regular service of parts and equipment as should be kept.
per the schedule
✔ Regular maintenance checks of all physical Operator’s skills
parts of the system from the water source to Once the system has been commissioned and
the drainage and reuse sections handed over by the installer, the responsibility for
✔ Schedule of maintenance ongoing operation and maintenance lies with the
✔ Correctly trained staff to operate the system manager of the system. Staff should be able to
✔ Objective information on which to base demonstrate the following skills:
irrigation schedules ■ knowledge of basic soil plant water relationships
✔ Detailed instructions for the correct ■ basic knowledge of hydraulics and system
operation of the system components
■ ability to read plans, manuals and technical
✔ Working life of system components
specifications
✔ Redevelopment/upgrading plan ■ ability to apply objective scheduling methods
The operator should monitor the system to ■ ability to plan irrigation, schedule and order
ensure it operates to specifications. water (peak and off-peak)
■ understand application rates and how many
hours to water
Documentation ■ ability to monitor and understand water quality
and impurities such as snails
■ ability to test pressure/flow rates in
Operation manual system (valves/emitters)
The system operation manual should specify: ■ ability to monitor pump performance,
■ the correct way to operate all equipment and including alignment and efficiency
installations ■ ability to monitor and maintain surface and
■ scheduling methods and crop water subsurface drainage
requirements ■ basic knowledge of pipe repairs
■ how the system should work and its ■ understand how to operate the system
optimal operating range safely within OH&S regulations
■ protocols for operating the system safely ■ ability to read water meter, rain gauge,
■ how the system handles natural extreme tensiometers, and compare to benchmarks
events such as floods and storms ■ keep records/monitor/check list
■ how the system’s operation will be monitored ■ calibrate fertigation equipment
■ how environmental impacts such as drainage ■ determine the potential for off-site and
will be monitored groundwater impacts from operation and
■ emergency procedures drainage
■ understand operational risks
10 AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ON-FARM IRRIGATION
SKILLS BY OCCUPATION
This chart lists the professionals who can help with irrigation system planning,
development, installation and operation. (Double ticks indicate the ‘first port of call’.)
OCCUPATION
Hydrogeologist
SKILL/
Environmental
Agronomist
Accountant
Hydrologist
KNOWLEDGE
Contractor
Economist
Irrigation
Engineer
Surveyor
designer
scientist
Solicitor
Other*
Economic & business
planning ✔ ✔✔ ✔
Environmental issues ✔
Legal issues ✔
Property boundaries/
topography ✔
Water availability ✔ ✔
✔✔✔
Water quality
✔ ✔
✔✔✔
Weather information ✔ ✔
Soil surveys
✔
Plant water requirements
✔
Nutrient, pest, weed
management ✔
Selection of system ✔ ✔
Design system ✔ ✔
Drainage, storages
and earthworks ✔ ✔
Manage installation
and construction ✔ ✔ ✔
Interpret plans ✔ ✔ ✔
Product knowledge ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Knowledge of irrigation
principles ✔✔ ✔ ✔ ✔✔
Audit, monitor system ✔ ✔ ✔
Maintenance ✔ ✔ ✔
* ‘Other’ professionals include staff of specialist commercial retail outlets with a range of formal qualifications.
2001
AUSTRALIAN CODE OF PRACTICE
for ON-FARM IRRIGATION
