New effluent technology allows farmers to recycle water

The pilot project called "Clear Tech" was launched by Ravensdown and Lincoln University, and allows farmers to recycle the water used as yard wash while cows are being milked.

Ravensdown Chief Executive Greg Campbell says the new technology reduces fresh water use within the dairy shed by up to two thirds.

He says when putting that into context, it has the potential to save up to 42 billion litres of fresh water every year which is the equivalent of 17 thousand Olympic size swimming pools.

The new technology cleans the water before re-use ... killing up to 99 percent of micro-organisms to get the quality just below drinking water.