Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) has confirmed it’s modifying the housing on its 15000 irrigation flow meters and other electronic equipment, to stop ant and rodent infestation.
GMW customer service head Daniel Irwin said the winter works program for 2017 totalled more than $8 million and more than $30 million had been spent in overall maintenance in 2016/17.
“Without control and containment measures ant activity can affect the circuitry of our regulators and meters, with the damage most prevalent in winter,” Mr Irwin said.
“This is because the radio equipment on each one of more than 15,000 sites is a heat source which can attract nesting ants.”
“As part of our proactive maintenance program, regulators and meters are annually treated with ant sand and residual spray.”
Previously, irrigators have raised concerns about rats, eating the wires in the meters, ant infestation and solar panels being stolen.
Mr Irwin said GMW was progressively installing small plastic enclosures to further protect assets from any infestation. GMW had also incorporated minor improvements to the infrastructure housing, protecting electronic circuitry.
“While our containment and control methods are effective, the fact is we have a very large irrigation district and our infrastructure operates in an outdoor environment,” Mr Irwin said.
Most maintenance took place in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID), where the channel network, regulators, flow meters and flume gates operated.
Maintenance was concentrated in the winter months, from mid-May to mid-August, when the gravity irrigation system was shut down.
While those works included structural replacement and repairs to road bridges, culverts and drains, it also included maintenance of assets at risk of damage from living things.
Insecticides and weed sprays were employed to deal with environmental impacts, particularly from ants, rodents and aquatic weeds.
