Finca Verde

Water rights are distributed by weekly timeslots

The irrigation system consists of a series of pipes of various sizes and switches to regulate water flow and pressure. At its most basic, the system exists to take the water out of the acequia and distribute it throughout the property. As the farm used to consist of two different farms, there are effectively two irrigation systems in place, without a link on the property between them. There are also remnants of a third, older irrigation system that predates the pipes in place, which is now mainly used as the overflow relief system.

The far side of the valley, or Frescito's side, is the simpler system. That system cannot take water out of the acequia directly, and relies on the pipe connection that gets fed into off-property to take its water. Moreover the system does not have water storage, which means it can only function when there is water in the pipe being directed into it. This limits the amount of watering it is able to do, as it cannot take more water than it is able to distribute. Most of the year this is not an issue, as there is not enough water in the pipe to reach all of the property. Instead there is usually only enough water to feed half of the side of the valley at any one time. There is a switch half way up the property to select between watering the top half and the bottom half of the valley, with it being customary to toggle it every other week or so, to ensure all of the farm gets watered.

The near side of the property, or the main property, features a more advanced system. It does not only have a pipe linkup, but can also take water directly from the acequia itself.

The main irrigation system also has a dedicated pipe channel to direct the water into the domestic storage tank, from which the water is then filtered and fed into the domestic system, providing water for things like laundry, toilet, shower, and kitchen tap. This filtering only removes coarse materials from the water, and is not sufficient to make the water safe to drink, or even use in cooking.

Both the pipe and the acequia water feeds dump the water into the alberca, which is roughly 6m by 7m, and is about 4m deep. The alberca has 5 different ways for water to leave it.

One is the overflow exit, and it directs the water into the old irrigation system. The old irrigation system consists of a meandering set of small tunnels and clay pipes that take the water from top of the property to the bottom in a way that over time loses some of that water to the trees. That system does not need a lot of maintenance, as it is difficult to block up with the mostly free of debris water that ends up in that system.

The next one is for the old washing up sink. This used to be the water for the laundry system before electricity-assisted laundering of clothes became common place. Not it is used as a source of utility water for tasks that do not require water filtration - like floor mop buckets, watering the potted plants, or washing up the compost container.

The next water outlet out of the alberca is the under the sink tap, which feeds the terrace that the house is built on, as well as the vegetable garden. There are switches along this pipe to regulate the water flow, allowing one to only water the vegetable garden, or to bypass the vegetable garden altogether.

The last two water outlets out of the alberca make up the majority of the farm's irrigation system. They are accessible through the irrigation channel, and take the water out of the bottom of the alberca, distributing it through all of the terraces on the near side of the valley that are below the terrace the farm is built on. These two outlets are equipped with their own water filters, which need regular cleaning to keep the flow of the system up.

Finally there is also a system for watering the very top two terraces, which does not go through the alberca. There is a switch on the almond hill near to where the car is usually parked. It turns on/off the water for those 2 terraces, and takes the water directly from the pipe going past the property.

Distribution of water to each individual trees happens through tubes that branch off from the main pipe that goes through the terrace. They are very narrow and have a tendency to glog up with debris over time, and so need manual clearing or replacement over time.

Refer to the map when carrying out the watering.

A switch that is open has the lever point parallel along the length of the pipe.

A switch that is closed has the lever point perpendicular to the length of the pipe.

1. At 10:00 Fill the domestic tank
   1. Open the switch for the domestic tank inlet
   2. Change the switch “Frascito” to point at the East Side
   3. When main tank overflows close the switch for domestic tank inlet
2. At 11:00 Change the switch “Frascito” to point at South Side
3. Walk up to the “L'Arquetta” and ensure there is water flowing from the pipe through the filter
4. Walk further up toward “Upper 1” and ensure there is stone correctly positioned under the pipe join to prevent leakage
5. Walk down to “Motrileneo” and ensure it is open
6. Walk along terraces and check that individual water exits are not blocked
7. Walk along terraces and check that the water is not causing any damage
8. Walk to terminus points along each terrace and clear them of debris by opening them and waiting until water runs clear

1. Start irrigation at the time indicated by the explanatory start of irrigation paragraph by opening all irrigation outlets:
   1. Under the sink
   2. Black in the tunnel
   3. Red in the tunnel
   4. Make sure any downflow levers are also open for fully open watering
2. At 19:00 open the inlet valve into the “Alberca”
3. Walk up to the “L'Arquetta” and ensure there is water flowing from the pipe through the filter
4. Walk further up toward “Upper 1” and ensure there is stone correctly positioned under the pipe join to prevent leakage
5. Walk along terraces and check that individual water exits are not blocked
6. Walk along terraces and check that the water is not causing any damage
7. Walk to terminus points along each terrace and clear them of debris by opening them and waiting until water runs clear
8. Monitor the change of water level in the water deposit
9. Stop irrigation at such a time so that by the time the water stops the water deposit is exactly full without overflow
10. Clean the filters

Irrigation starting time is timed to avoid watering during hot weather as much as possible, but is timed to start watering as early as possible in the winter, to also avoid overflow of the water deposit. As such, before 27th of March irrigation should be started 90 minutes before local sunset. After 27th of March and until 9th of September irrigation should be started at 19:00, when the filling of the water deposit starts. After 9th of September watering should once again happen 90 minutes before local sunset.

Before cleaning a filter ensure the relevant irrigation lever is closed, so that no water is flowing through the pipe. Use the wrench to unscrew the filter, and remove the whole filter assembly from the pipe. Wash the filter with fresh water. If that is insufficient attempt to use a brush to clean debris out. If that is insufficient try soaking the filter in a mild vinegar bath, and once again use a brush to remove debris. Screw the filter back into place, taking care to screw the assembly tight without over-tightening it.

1. At 18:00 Fill the domestic tank
2. Open the switch for the domestic tank inlet
3. Change the switch “Frascito” to point at the East Side
4. When main tank overflows close the switch for domestic tank inlet