Sep 11, 2015 | News

Forsta Filters are the Perfect Choice to Protect Drip Irrigation Systems

In his Aug 14, New York Times article entitled, How California is Winning the Drought, Charles Fishman featured the effectiveness of drip irrigation in reducing water use in California’s Central Valley. The article features the agricultural operation of sixth-generation farmer Cannon Michael, who grows tomatoes, cotton, melons and wheat on 10,000 acres.

Tomatoes on Drip Irrigation Fishman reported that, “in the past 10 years, he [Michael] has spent $10 million installing drip irrigation on about half the land. When he grows tomatoes using drip hoses that squirt water right below where the plants emerge from the ground, he uses about 35 percent less water per acre than he would with traditional irrigation. But the plants produce more tomatoes — he says that he gets at least 70 percent more tomatoes per 1,000 gallons of water.”

The article goes on to explain that, “Since 1980, the amount of California farmland watered by drip- or micro-irrigation has gone from almost nothing to nearly three million acres, 39 percent of the state’s irrigated fields.” Fishman cites the decline of flood-irrigation (down to 3.5 million acres from more than six million).

Forsta Filters is proud to be a part of this growing trend towards efficient water use in agriculture. With drip irrigation systems at the forefront of water efficiency in landscape and agricultural irrigation projects, protecting those systems from clogging is of the utmost importance.

Drip Irrigation Protection Installation

Drip Irrigation Protection – Forsta Self Cleaning Filter Model: E12-LP180-FRP, 3200gpm, 150micron

Many farms still use wasteful sand/media filters as the main form of filtration upstream of drip and other irrigation systems. When backwashing, Forsta self-cleaning screen filters use, on average, less than 3% of the volume of water required to backwash a comparable sand media system. Even when considering an increased backwash frequency with screen filters, Forsta customers report that water savings are substantial.

Corn field growing with drip irrigation system.An agricultural operation that combines efficient self-cleaning screen filtration with a drip irrigation system is set-up for long-term water savings and success. Forsta self-cleaning filters protect drip tubing from debris buildup which can reduce energy efficiency. As irrigation piping and drip tubing orifices become smaller due to buildup it takes more energy to pump water through them.

Forsta’s self-cleaning systems protect drip tubing with 100-200 micron screens that keep fine sand, silt and other particles from entering the system. By utilizing available system pressure for cleaning (min. 35psi), Forsta self-cleaning filters consume a minimal amount of energy. Where system pressure is lower (min 15psi) Forsta offers motor-driven filters.

Drip Irrigation Protection Installation

Self-Cleaning Filter Model: B2-90, 200gpm max, 100 micron

Irrigation backwash controllers are available in both battery operated (9-Volt) and 110 VAC models to accommodate installation at any location.  Forsta self-cleaning filters have a short backwash cycle that does not cause an interruption to main system flow. Models flowing less than 100gpm to drip systems can require as little as 1 gallon per backwash.