Dustbowl to Delightful Garden
Worme’s Homestead, West of Elmore at Minto
Joy and Neil Worme moved into a 21-acre homestead property in early 2020. The homestead sits within a 3000-acre sheep farm.
The historic Minto property was historically serviced by rainwater tanks and a back paddock dam. Unfortunately, the ‘homestead’ didn’t have an established garden, so the Worme’s decided to drill a bore and access a constant water supply for the ‘home paddock’ and for nearby troughs for the sheep.
After sinking the bore, which is relatively shallow, it can supply water at 14,000 litres per hour. But, the bore water is very salty, with readings of 1600-1800ppm, which would kill almost any plant on the block.
“The water is terrible, so we needed to find a solution to make the water better. We needed to water the homestead lawns, garden beds and roses in particular,” said Neil.
Neil contacted Puredrop Desalination, and after a visit to the property, Chris suggested the Desalination Unit size and system set up to supply the water required.
“We go away (travel) quite often, so the system is fully automatic. As long as we’ve got power, the sprinklers come on for the front and back yards. Then, when tank storage gets a bit low, a float starts the desalination unit, refilling the tanks straightaway,” Neil said.
“Our system pumps 18 litres a minute to storage and keeps our garden happy. Our sprinklers are going every day.”
Joy mentioned that the property didn’t have a garden when they moved in. They now have an established lawn and several garden beds, including roses and boundary hedges.
“Having a green space around the property helps keep the house cool and reduces the amount of dust,” Joy said.
“Neil is an Aquarius, and he needs water. So he must be hosing down the BBQ area or having the sprinklers going on the garden and the lawn. We couldn’t have any of this without the water.”
“Our grandkids come up from Bendigo and can run around, play cricket on the front lawn, ride their bikes. They love coming up to see ‘Nanny’ and ‘Poppy’,” smiled Joy.
Joy and Neil ask Puredrop to visit the site yearly to check the unit and ensure it is running optimally. Regular checking of the system gauges gives a clear indication of when filter replacement is required.
Neil said, “I’ve been a farmer for a long time…honestly, you couldn’t live here without the Puredrop Desalination unit. It would be a dustbowl. To have an area like we have, you need a desalination unit to reduce salt levels for gardening.”
The Worme’s now have an ample water supply to maintain the homestead gardens and service several nearby water troughs for his flock of sheep.
“It’s quite simple…if you want water, this is what you have to have. We couldn’t recommend Puredrop Desalination highly enough,” Joy said.