Recording Our Most Precious Resource
At "Glenwood" we keep a very important piece of equipment on the fence post on the tennis court - a rain gauge!
Every morning after we have had rain Norm will measure the rain in the gauge and record it on a chart on the side of our fridge. Then at the end of each year we collate it onto the computer. We do need to be careful not to have the sprinkler on near by, as this will give us a false reading!
We have records of rainfall for over 100 years (since 1902) which makes us very fortunate as the custodians of the land to look back over time and see the patterns - good and bad.
We are very grateful to Norm’s Great Great Grandfather - Mr Norman Smith for having the initiative way back then to start recording the daily rainfall which then led to everyone since to carry on the tradition.
We have all of the original record books which, given the state they were in, we transferred all the data onto our computer for safety and ability to use programs to compare and analyse.
We have recently placed a very modern piece of equipment called an “Observant Remote Monitor” on 2 tanks located in the Top Air Strip paddock and the Tank paddock.
These monitors measure the water level of the big dam and general rainfall – it is an electronic rain gauge that is linked to our computer and run on solar power – enabling us to get a better idea of rainfall on different areas of "Glenwood". As the property is 7000 acres the rainfall collected and measured at the homestead is not always the same as other parts of the property.
It has been so successful that we are now going to place a 3rd monitor in Holly’s paddock down the south end of “Glenwood”. The benefits are so overwhelming – they save us time, water and identify any issues in these areas early - especially during dry periods.
As the tanks are on top of the hills – at approximately 600 metres high - we are able to get mobile phone reception – which is then linked back to the home computer.
Great to see modern technology playing a role in monitoring our most precious resource!
Until next time – stay safe and happy
