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Dethridge wheel gives away free water
22 Aug 2008
The Dethridge irrigation wheel used extensively as irrigation meters have given farmers millions of free litres of water according to a new study by Goulburn-Murray Water. The Dethridge wheel has an average error rate of 7.5 per cent while some wheels in the Victorian study, released yesterday, understated water volumes by nearly 18 per cent when tested. That effectively delivered a farmer millions of litres of free extra water annually worth tens of thousands of dollars, without the farmer even knowing about it. GMW alone has 13,205 Dethridge wheels in operation. It was invented in 1910 by John Dethridge, the commissioner of the Victorian State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. Of 53 wheels, 50 were found to understate water flow, one by 24 per cent. Three wheels overstated flow by up to 2.9 per cent.
The Age, 22/08/2008
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