WaCoNA on the racecourse in Verden

In the summer of 2020, three new riding arenas with the most modern automatic drip irrigation technology were built at the racecourse in Verden. The almost 160,000 ft² (15,000 m²) riding area will be used for international events. The riding surface specialist Bohlmann Reitböden took over the construction of the competition arenas and the laying of the water pipes. The drip irrigation system is used in connection with the WaCoNA control system of NORKA Automation and is currently unique in Germany (state summer 2020).

The new riding arenas have 19 irrigation circuits with their own valves for water supply and dewatering. The irrigation is fully automatically coordinated by our WaCoNA control system, which is a part of SmartStable^®. The control cabinets were designed, manufactured and programmed in our headoffice. The control system consists of two fully wired and heatable IP65 outdoor cabinets. A weather station measures live wether data on site. Our algorithms determine the required amount of water from the weather data and – for each of the three riding arenas independently adjustable target soil moisture – individually control the corresponding supply valves for each circuit. In this way, we and the facility operator maintain a sustainable use of drinking water.

In addition, the WaCoNA control system ensures reliable operation of the entire irrigation system. The water consumption is continuously logged and compared with the collected consumption statistics. Water leaks and blocked water pipes can be detected at an early timepoint and appropriate preventive measures are taken. If necessary, the integrated frost detection automatically starts the emptying of the water network and thus prevents damage due to freezing. A remote access module with IoT connection reports the operating status of the system and enables remote access to the control system for optimization.

WaCoNA control of NORKA Automation and the drip irrigation of Bohlmann Reitböden form an innovative and comfortable irrigation system without compromise.

• Soil moisture is controlled according to use
• Setpoints individually adjustable
• 3 riding arenas with almost 160,000 ft² (15,000 m²)
• 19 individually controllable irrigation circuits
• Weather station
• Inclusion of local weather data
• Detection of leaks and blockages
• Automatic emptying function in case of imminent ground frost
• Remote maintenance

Picture source: The cover picture and the correspondingly marked pictures were made available by courtesy of the company Bohlmann Reitböden.