Crop management must also be considered when developing an irrigation plan. Irrigation may need to be suspended to allow time for planting, cultivation, mowing, and harvest. While it is difficult to predict exactly what day agricultural operations will occur, the irrigation plan must include time allowances for "down time."
Incorporating a variety of crops into a wastewater reuse system can help minimize conflicts between the need to manage a crop and the need to disperse wastewater over the site. Combining plots with turf, woodlot, and a variety of agricultural crops is strongly recommended because it gives an operator maximum flexibility.
Develop a simple field map with acreage, crop, and any irrigation restrictions. An example field map is shown in Figure 6.
|
| Figure 6. Field map for wastewater reuse system. |
Because revenue can be generated from crops grown on wastewater reuse sites, crop management sometimes distracts the operator from the first priority of the site, reuse of wastewater. Be careful not to get caught up with managing the crop to maximize yields. To insure adequate wastewater reuse to protect the environment, water and nutrient application rates are conservative. Plant growth may at times be limited due to poor drainage or wastewater application may reduce the time available for cultivation. The crop may at times be limited in water or nutrients.