Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was "Water district management and governance."Includes bibliographical references.A study was conducted in a pressurized irrigation district in southern Italy to analyze current delivery performance and determine improvements needed to meet current and future delivery needs. Such an analysis is required due to changes that have occurred, since the system was first put into service, in cropping patterns, farming practices and irrigation techniques. The Combined Optimization and Performance Analysis Model (COPAM) was used to evaluate the irrigation system present performance under different operating conditions, to identify the areas within the irrigation district where rehabilitation and modernization are more urgently needed, and to suggest the most effective engineering and operational improvements. Post-intervention operating scenarios were simulated and analyzed to refine and validate the re-engineering process. Results show the usefulness of simulation models when analyzing modernization alternatives for irrigation schemes.Sponsored by USCID; co-sponsored by Association of California Water Agencies and International Network for Participatory Irrigation Management
