Greenhouse, Indoor Farming & Agri-Processing worked example

Water Use per Crop with total water used per crop cycle of 30,000 gal: a worked example

This scenario runs the water use per crop calculation on the strong side: total water used per crop cycle of 30,000 gal, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when costing a leafy green or tomato crop, comparing drain-to-waste against recirculating systems, or evaluating an RO or rainwater capture project against current water bills.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total water used per crop cycle: 30,000 gal (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 12,000)
  • Blended water and sewer rate: 0.01 $ / gal (unchanged)
  • Fixed RO, UV, and treatment cost per cycle: 75 $ (unchanged)
  • Water-system labor per cycle: 60 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total water cost per crop cycle = total water used × blended water and sewer rate + fixed RO, UV, and treatment cost + water-system labor) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 495 $ for total water cost per crop cycle, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.02 $ / piece for water cost per gallon delivered.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 360 $ for variable water and sewer cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 135 $ for fixed treatment and labor adders.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where total water used per crop cycle sits at 12,000 gal and the headline result is 279 $, this scenario comes in 77.42% above the baseline at 495 $.
  • Use it when budgeting a crop cycle, comparing recirculating versus single-pass irrigation, or pricing water into finished-product cost. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total water cost per crop cycle: 495 $ (headline result)
  • Water cost per gallon delivered: 0.02 $ / piece
  • Variable water and sewer cost: 360 $
  • Fixed treatment and labor adders: 135 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Water Use per Crop calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.