Founded in the Goulburn Valley, with a vision to sustainably increase global food and fibre production through improved water-use efficiency, Rubicon Water is delivering advanced technology to managers of gravity-fed irrigation networks, enabling them to manage with unprecedented levels of efficiency and control.
Irrigated agriculture currently consumes 70 percent of the world’s fresh water, with many irrigation areas having low water distribution efficiencies due to large-scale system losses. Rubicon’s technology is essentially eliminating these losses and ensuring that only the correct amount of water is diverted, resulting in improved serviceability to farmers and leaving more water in storage for future use.
A benchmark example can be witnessed in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, where automation has played a key role in making the basin one of the most efficient food bowls in the world. Over the past two decades, more than 20,000 automated devices have been installed by Rubicon to improve water distribution efficiencies in modernised areas from between 50 to 70 percent, to more than 90 percent.
In February, it was announced that the modernisation of the GMID alone is saving more than 429 gigalitres of water each year. To place this water saving volume into perspective, Sydney Harbour has a capacity of 500 gigalitres.
The company currently generates around 70percent of its revenue from its growing international operations with over 100 employees at their primary facility in Shepparton and 17 countries benefiting from this remarkable technology.
Their comprehensive approach is resulting in huge water savings for governments, irrigation districts, farmers, and the environment.
The company is now extending these efficiency improvements beyond the farm gate through their next generation of on-farm irrigation automation technology. Our Goulburn Valley magazine had first-hand opportunity to witness a local farmer leveraging the system.
The world’s most precious resource is water, it is an irreplaceable element and indeed the very heart of our existence. The importance of water management has dominated human history, and Rubicon Water are playing an integral part in our future’s prosperity, right here in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley.
