As much of the country enters drought status, Tramspread is encouraging growers to look beyond increasing water storage and instead protect what they have.
Hexa-Cover is widely used on slurry lagoons but is now being promoted as an effective solution for reducing evaporation losses from irrigation reservoirs.
Up to 800mm of water can be lost to evaporation each year, increasing during prolonged periods of high temperatures and low rainfall.
“Preserving water collected during winter for use in the growing season is becoming increasingly important,” says Tramspread’s John Tydeman.
“This year’s drought conditions mean many farm reservoirs are already empty. For growers operating under restrictive abstraction licences, every cubic metre lost represents wasted money and water that cannot be used to protect yields or quality.”
Hexa-Cover uses multiple hexagonal pieces, made from recycled plastic, to form an interlocking barrier which can reportedly reduce evaporation losses by up to 95%.
These are already being used to protect reservoirs on the continent, and John believes it could become an increasingly important part of water management in the UK.
“Hexa-Cover has an expected lifespan of more than 25 years, so it’s a long-lasting investment, and we believe that most businesses could recoup the cost in less than five years,” he says.
It can also help to prevent algae growth and is suitable for drinking water reservoirs.