Irrigation System Grows Crops With Salt Water.

A British company has created an irrigation system that can grow crops using salt water. The dRHS irrigation system consists of a network of sub-surface pipes, which can be filled with almost any water, whether pure, brackish, salted or polluted. The system can even take most industrial waste-water and use it without the need for a purification process. The pipes are made from a plastic that retains virtually all contaminants while letting clean water through to the plants' roots. It was designed by Mark Tonkin of Design Technology and Irrigation, which is based in Brighton. He says that once the pipes have been laid, the system will require little maintenance and therefore no significant costs. This is partly because it's fed by gravity from an elevated supply tank, and partly because water diffuses through the porous pipe walls, so there are no holes to get blocked up.

News Technology

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This has been around for TEN YEARS yet this is the first I have heard of it, not to mention this article is from May 1st.

Why does this kind of innovation get no media attention? Why isn't it being put in place all around the world?

This could easily be introduced in the united states, imagine if they built pump stations on the coast and pipe lines running to the grain belt, since farmers are concerned with drouts this could easily solve that problem.

Of course this innovation seems like decent idea, so it wont get any public attention, and will be pushed aside.

Cant wait for my electric car....

[edit on 7/21/2009 by Alaskan Man]

[edit on 7/21/2009 by Alaskan Man]

Irrigation is itself a serious problem, that's probably why.

The dRHS system, which has been in development for ten years, was initially trialled in the UK using tomato plants, and has since been tried out in the US. The next trials will take place in Chile, Libya, Tanzania, Mauritius and Spain. Tonkin says 20,000 metres of pipe are on their way to the Middle East, where it will be tested with water that's more saline than sea water.

Its still in trials, all new inventions need to be trialed before being implemented.

reply to post by Alaskan Man


Hi Alaskan Man,

It is terrible to use salt water on good land. I can see land that is already salty being used, but to put salt on land ruins the land because the salt is extremely hard to get rid of once it is introduced into the dirt.

Later on.... nothing will grow on the land when the ppm is too high.

So, do the pipes have to be replaced every so often? Because it seems like it would be akin to a water filter that would become contaminated and will either no longer properly filter or simply not let any water through.

reply to post by Alaskan Man


That is purty cool. people can be soo darn smart sometimes...never ceases to amaze me...

Good find