Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Utilizing water that is going to waste. Ideas?

I discharge somewhat less than 45 gpm (65,000 gpd) into the local highway ditch from my trout pond as that is what I pump into my trout pond. The trout are part of my taxidermy business, not just for pleasure, and they more than pay for the utilities and other expenses. I have plentiful ground water supplies here, but can't help thinking I can put that water to use after it leaves the trout pond. It would also be nice to use it up and not have any discharge going into the ditch as it does bring some undesirable attention from the highway department, and well meaning individuals that are convinced I am pumping the aquifer dry, which is not the case. Thanks to the media everyone seems convinced the entire country is running out of ground water which is not the case here.

I'd like to utilize that water for some kind of land crop to not only put it to use but makes some income out of it. I really don't have any more room for more ponds and don't have the capital to put up any buildings right now. The rest of the property that could be used for some kind of land crop is downhill from the trout pond so no pumping would be necessary. Irrigation would be gravity flow.

Anyone have an ideas on what would be a profitable crop or crops I could pursue? I thought of growing out vegetables and selling them on the property to the thousands of people that drive by on the highway every day, but wonder about the profitability. Maybe there is some other niche market out there I could pursue?
Thoughts?

Oh and to preempt the comments that are sure to come, no I am not into growing illegal plants.

Edit: Actually the water is not going to waste. Some goes back into the water table and there is a farmer pumping out of the ditch farther down for irrigation.

Cecil:

Considering that it's downhill, what about turning some sort of waterwheel & generating electricity?

For the size of the land that's available, and the amount of water that's used, I don't have any crop ideas. Wild rice is pretty pricey, but I don't know the in's and out's of raising it.

Could it be pumped back into the ground somehow? Dunno the cost tho!

Hmmm... There are some very profitable crops but they are very illegal.

Do you have any local farmer markets that occur on Saturdays or Wednesdays? Check them out and see what people are selling. What is selling well, etc... You could consider growing and selling that.

Unless I was in California. I could grow it for medicinal purposes.



Good idea. I should do that.

Bottle it and put some snooty French name on it. Instant cash...

Or more seriously, possibly aquaponics is in your future. IIRC Rainman sells some tilapia to people in that market. Maybe he could give you an idea of plants they are growing in their systems? IIRC tomatoes are sometimes grown.

I've thought of the aquaponics but would need to invest in some infrastructure which at this point in the economy is not an option for me. We are getting by up here but business is spotty with a lot of people out of work up here.

I have some similar questions on my own property. For what its worth, I don't think its very feasible to try to "use up" the water in the sense of preventing discharge. I do think you consider utilizing this nutrient-laden water to crow crops. One option would be to build a channel filled with gravel (some expense, but very minimal) and run the water through that gravel bed. Doing so would allow growing of most acquaculture plants (especially non-fruiting plants like lettuce, bok choi, etc.). Given the nutrient load, options like cucumbers and tomatoes would also likely work. I've been considering doing this using an autosypon system so the beds would automatically fill and drain on something like an hourly basis, which would provide more optimal conditions for the plants.

Here is a poster about a really interesting aquaculture/aquaponics research project just down the road from me. They have a reasonably large spring flowing from the side of the mountain that feeds their trout runs. The effluent feeds a year-around greenhouse, where they can grow cool-crop plants in summer and winter.

EVALUATION OF VALUE-ADDED MARKETABLE PLANT SPECIES UTILIZING A COLD-WATERFLOW-THROUGH EFFLUENT AQUACULTURE SYSTEM

I keep asking for a job there. Someday, I'll wear them down.

Thanks for the ideas Mo!

Thanks Ken!