Rural Water Supply, Drainage, Irrigation Data and Information
Livestock - Peak Daily Requirements.
| Cattle in lactation: 70 litres/head | Sheep: 6 litres/head |
| Cattle - dry: 45 litres/head | Lambs: 1-2 litres/head |
| Calves: 25 litres/head | Sows: 25 litres/head |
| Working horses: 55 litres/head | Poultry per 100 birds: 30 litres |
| Grazing horses: 35 litres/head |
Peak Drinking Water Flows Required.
Cattle in lactation: 12-14 litres/head/hour
Cattle-dry: 8-10 litres/head/hour
Sheep: 0.4 litres/head/hour
Pipes-Maximum Recommended Working Pressures
Pipes Flow Rates
Rule of thumb: Doubling pipe size will increase flow rate by 4-6 times
Drainage
Minimum required falls, for pipelines to remain self-clearing with a water velocity of 0.45 m per second, are indicated below:
| Pipe diameter |
Clay tile |
Corrugated plastic |
| 100 mm |
0.3% (i.e. fall of 0.3m in 100m) |
0.7% (i.e. fall of 0.7m in 100m) |
| 150 mm |
0.2% (i.e. fall of 0.2m in 100m) |
0.3% (i.e. fall of 0.3m in 100m) |
Irrigation Requirements
Requirements depend on soil type, rainfall, and crop
Broad guidelines: These are guidelines only:
- High rate: 36 cu m per ha day (1 acre inch per week)
- Average rate: 27 cu m per ha day (125 gal per acre per hour)
Some useful formulas and conversion factors: The details below are useful in working out irrigation coverage, pump power, and flows:
- 25.4 mm on 1 ha = 254.6 cu m
- 1 mm on 1 ha = 10 cu m
- 1 kPa = 0.102 m head
- 1 cu m = 1000 litres
Formula for calculating loads on a pump
