Clear Ridge Nursery Tree Farm Irrigation Supply System!

Clear Ridge Nursery is developing a 50-acre tree farm that will consist of up to 20 pot-in-pot fields (zones). They are utilizing a drip irrigation system which conserves water.

Currently, there are two wells on the property which have the total capacity of 65 gallons per minute (GPM). Well #1 is 23 GPM and 400’ deep, while Well #2 is 42 GPM and 300’ deep. A 32’ x 32’ metal building (pump house) was constructed to house the distribution pump, well pump controls, solenoid valves and controls, and three 3,000-gallon storage tanks. Initially 14 irrigation zones were installed.

Well #1 has a 5 hp, 25 GPM pump and Well #2 has a 5 hp, 45 gpm pump. Each pump connects to a 2”, schedule 120 PVC pipe in the well.  Well #1 has a 1½” poly pipe from the well casing to the Pump House while well #2 has a 2” poly pipe from the well casing to the pump house. Each well pump is controlled by a Goulds 3AS50 Aquavar variable speed pump controller. Each well pump system has a 2” stainless steel manifold with a back flow preventer to protect the groundwater from contamination. The outlets from each manifold are tied together and suppl the three 3,000-gallon storage tanks. The tanks are connected together at the bottom with a 3” manifold to equalize the water level in the tanks. 

The 14 irrigation fields are supply by two Goulds Aquavar variable speed booster pumps. Each pump can provide 30 GPM @ 50 psi. The two booster pumps pull water from the storage tanks and feed it to a manifold that has the 14 zone valves connected to it. The variable speed pump modulates volume to the need of each zone. This conserves electric and water. 

Apple Plumbing designed and installed the well pumps, well piping and wire, and all the distribution piping, valves and pumps in the Pump House. We connected the 14 irrgation supply pipes to the underground zone piping that was installed by Clear Ridge Nursery. Apple Plumbing, Goulds Pumps Engineers, Milby Company and Clear ridge Nursery collaborated to create a water and energy efficient irrigation system that will conserve our natural resources while providing a local business with the resources needed to expand and grow into the future!