Creek, canal and irrigation

Our farm has a nearby creek. It becomes a big and wild river though during heavy rains and flash flood. It would look look like this on a regular rainy season but no heavy rains. Nice, tender water.

Photos taken last July 21, 2011. A few days or weeks of no heavy rain, the water can be rather thin.

Taken August 30, 2011. There was rain that day, but not strong. The water was a bit muddy.

We have a canal, we dug it around 2005 or 2006. Diverted a small volume of water from the creek, impounded it, connected to 4 pvc hoses. The excess water simply go back to the creek.

The 4 hoses are attached to a strong wire, across the creek, to the rice field on the other side. Photos taken July 21, 2011.

Upper photos, the mouth of the canal, from the upper side of the creek. Lower photos the water from the hoses, and the young rice plant.

This canal is one of our best investments in the farm. Zero cost for fuel to pump up the water from the creek or river to irrigate the rice field, on fallow during the dry months of March to May, or limited vegetable plots.