
	Location:	Mid-Canterbury
	Duration:	12 Months, 2010-2011
	Client:	Acton Farmers Irrigation Coop.
	Value:	$10.5 million
	Delivered on Time and Budget?:	Yes, Designed, funded & constructed by REL

Located on the East side of SH1 below Rakaia, the scheme comprises a 28km main race, carrying 3.7cumecs with 42km of side races over five separate legs.

The scheme has a total irrigation gross area of 6,000 hectares of land within a command area of 30,000 hectares, to supply approximately 50 Irrigation shareholders.

Concrete siphons, drop and overflow boxes, 8 hydraulic gate systems and 45 offtake structures distribute the water throughout the scheme. Three large buffer ponds were constructed to re-regulate the flow during power outage and water restrictions. State of the art telemetry and gate/flow monitoring equipment enables the scheme to regulate its own flows at the main intake as well as the buffer pond inlets and outlets, once the water demand parameters are entered by the scheme manager.

An ECan/Fish & Game compliant fish barrier is provided at the face of the river and twin silt collection ponds The entire scheme is constructed through Canterbury Plains alluvial gravel and in some areas, clean, open gravels presented significant sealing issues. These issues were overcome by blending, overlaying and recompaction of lining material to create a near impervious seal.

ROONEY-Acton-Irrigation-Scheme2