Use of Water in Typical Northwest German Agricultural Activities
Questions | Business 1 (cows) | Business 2 (horticulture) |
1. What do you use water for? | Drinking supply for the animals, as well as cleaning of the milking parlour, barn and equipment. | They use it to water the plants and to clean the green houses. |
2. How much water do you use? | Per day 10.000 litres. Per year 3.650.000 litres. |
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3. Where does the water come from? Earlier and now? | Now: From the “OOWV”, the regional water supplier. Earlier: |
They pump water from a private rainwater pond. |
4. Is the water price as high as in a normal household? | Yes, but they do not have to pay sewage charges. | |
5. Do you use drinking water or rainwater? | Just drinking water. | They only use rainwater because the pond has always supplied enough water. |
6. Where does the used water go to? | The water goes into the manure silo and is then driven to the country. | The water is collected in collecting basins under the plant tables. The unused water flows back into the pond and is reused later. |
7. Is the water reusable? | Yes, it is used as part of the manure again. | Yes, it is reused. First the quantity of fertilisers in the water is measured and then it is adjusted to the needed quantity of fertilisers. |
8. How do you try to safe water? | We are repairing leaks in the pipe. Therefore, a boiling water cleaning system was installed, which cleans the milk pipes without any detergents. This water can then cool down and be reused as drinking water for the cows. | Yes, it is reused (see above). |
9. What pollutants end up in the groundwater? | Nitrogen and Phosphorus only reach the groundwater if too much manure is brought onto the fields. But there are strict monitoring systems to prevent this. | They collect the unused water in collecting basins and then reuse it. |