Irrigation district sustainability

Presented at Irrigation district sustainability - strategies to meet the challenges: USCID irrigation district specialty conference held on June 3-6, 2009 in Reno, Nevada.Fresno Irrigation District (FID) serves irrigation water to approximately 245,000 acres including the Cities of Fresno and Clovis, in California's Central San Joaquin Valley. As Clovis has developed they have looked for ways to diversify their water supply portfolio. Until recently, this mainly consisted of groundwater wells with some surface water supplies coming from FID. Clovis, in an effort to increase their dry year supplies, partnered with FID to develop the Waldron Banking Facilities. Through the agreement developed between Clovis and FID, Clovis provided half of the capital to develop the project in return for half of the project yield. Clovis also has the first right of refusal, on an annual basis, for any yield developed from the project. The Waldron Banking Facilities are comprised of three groundwater banking facilities located in the western portion of the District. In exchange for the banked supplies, FID then provides an equivalent amount of surface water to Clovis (in the eastern portion of FID). To develop a new water supply for the City and FID, during wet years and other times when surplus surface water supplies are available these supplies are routed to the groundwater recharge basins. In dry years, these banked supplies are then recovered from the aquifer, and delivered to FID growers. Two of the recharge basin sites were existing regulation basins, which were significantly expanded to add recharge capabilities. One of the sites is new, and placed at the bifurcation of one of FID's laterals. The recharge basin sites were strategically selected in order to provide an added benefit as regulation and storage basins that could be utilized during the irrigation season. The project was built over the course of three years, in phases. Now complete, the project includes approximately 250 acres of recharge basins, new measurement and control sites, seven recovery wells, and a network of monitoring wells. This paper will discuss the financial aspects of the project, project planning issues, design considerations, and how the twelve construction contracts were developed, managed and executed

Irrigation district sustainability

Presented at Irrigation district sustainability - strategies to meet the challenges: USCID irrigation district specialty conference held on June 3-6, 2009 in Reno, Nevada.Includes bibliographical references.The evolving circumstances under which irrigation districts operate include growing demands for more accurate knowledge and accountability of flow throughout the conveyance network, along with increased needs for timely awareness when unexpected flow conditions are present. For open channel conveyance systems, critical-flow structures (flumes or weirs) offer the simplicity of a direct correlation between upstream water level and a corresponding discharge. Unfortunately at many locations where flow measurement is desired there may be insufficient head available for operation of a critical-flow measurement structure under all flow conditions that may occur. In recent years following development of computer-based design and calibration software, long-throated flumes have gained increasing popularity as the class of critical-flow structures which offer the greatest submergence tolerance. Numerous long-throated flumes have been installed at sites where head availability is marginal. In some cases after a flume has been installed it becomes apparent that the head is not sufficient under all operating conditions for critical-flow measurement. Reclamation's Hydraulic Investigations and Laboratory Services Group and Yuma Area Office Water Conservation Field Services Program are field testing a system for measuring flow with long-throated flumes under submerged or unsubmerged conditions. The initial scope this field study targeted specifically selected for continuously submerged conditions. The project scope has been expanded to include occasionally submerged sites in recognition that numerous long throated flumes have been installed at sites where submergence conditions that exceed the flume's modular limit exist under some operating conditions

USCID water management conference

Presented at Upgrading technology and infrastructure in a finance-challenged economy: a USCID water management conference held on March 23-26, 2010 in Sacramento, California.The Fresno Irrigation District (District) is in its third and final year of an ambitious Three-Year Maintenance and Facility Upgrade Plan (Three-Year MFUP). The improvement costs are estimated at $18.5 million, with$10.3 million coming from bonds and $8.2 million coming from outside contributions. These outside contributions include federal and state grants and in-kind District labor. In order to minimize immediate fiscal impacts to landowners, the District decided to bond the initial capital funds and to repay them over time. The Three-Year MFUP is structured in such a way that it "catches-up" on major infrastructure deficiencies and needs within the District, focusing on deferred maintenance projects and capital improvements. The capital improvements included retrofitting existing weir structures with long crested weirs and automated gates; SCADA and telemetry improvements; improved measurement at lateral headings and selected grower turnouts; regulation and recharge basins; replacement of leaking pipelines; lining problematic portions of open canals; automated trash racks; and improving rights-of-way along open canals. The projects are being constructed by contractors as well as the District's construction forces. Due to the specialized nature of the majority of the capital improvements the District has been able to minimize costs and construct a greater number of projects by utilizing its construction forces