Curious about the comment "springs piped to existing and planned food plots"
Gravity fed piping? Pump fed? Or?
Just curious because we have some water pipe left over from another project and I've tried to figure out how I can use the pipe for a habitat project.
I have 5 springs around my the end of my hollow, all between the 3/4 and maybe 7/8 elivation line. One is captured for our house water and bottom land hydrants and overflow keeps the pond topped of.
Working to capture two of the springs for some trees/orchard, plots, mushrooms, garden irrigation and to simplify livestock water. Also backup incase the main spring ever cracks/shifts. (New overflow to my pond and then channeled to my next two neighbors to help with their ponds.) If I get enough consolidated flow will add a micro-hydro system to my solar. Have between 100-150 ft of head so even without a catch tank have enough pressure for anything. Main system has a 550 gallon tank 20 feet below spring and then over 900 feet of 2" pipe and 150 feet head,,,would peel paint if we didn't restrict the pressure.
If you can use gravity it is the way to go.
I am going at this slow because the springs feed the PawPaw & persimmon trees we are encouraging in wild abundance and even am growing Wasabi in one ravine spring Channel.
Hoping to maximize the "free" water impact. If I dump it all into open crop land too much evaporates.