Canal Operation Automation
New measures taken in irrigation district to maximize efficiency
By Danielle Supercinski
Today’s irrigation and water districts face increasing challenges in their daily operations. Challenges include increased demands for flexible and efficient operation, rising costs of energy, limited water supplies and expensive labor.
The Irrigation District Engineering & Assistance (IDEA) team of Texas Cooperative Extension is assisting districts on addressing these problems by focusing their efforts on water conservation projects in the Mexican border region of Texas to produce water savings and improve conveyance efficiency through optimal irrigation canal and pipeline management.
“For more precise water management of a large and complex irrigation system, rapid processing of the large amounts of data is required,” said Azim Nazarov, Extension associate at Weslaco Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University System. “Canal automation is a rapidly improving technology that will open up new possibilities for processing data and perform the complex adjustments of gates for water control.
“In addition, automation will result in more efficient water management with benefits from improved crop yield, reduced operation and maintenance costs, and water conservation through reduced spillage and seepage,” Nazarov said.
A new project to install automation equipment has been initiated through the Rio Grande Basin Initiative (RGBI) to demonstrate the benefits of canal automation. The project will include system design, mechanical and electrical refurbishment, automation equipment procurement, installation services, programming (software), field-testing and training. Delta Lake Irrigation District (DLID) is the first district where a canal automation system will be implemented through RGBI.
Currently, manual operation of water control structures is predominant in the region, but district personnel lack sufficient experience and technical knowledge to manage those complex systems. There is also a lack of modern, reliable water flow information and communication systems which force district administrators to make management and operational decisions based on insufficient information. The automatic control systems planned for the district will overcome the weaknesses of these manually controlled systems.
The IDEA Team will demonstrate a type of control system called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) in DLID. Delayed delivery of scheduled flows has been a problem in the district, but with implementation of the SCADA system, scheduled flows can be delivered on time. Implementation will also result in more efficient water management with benefits from improved crop yield, reduced operation and maintenance costs, and water conservation through reduced spillage and seepage.
“The unique feature of this project is that the automatically controlled gates will be coupled with optimal water delivery at the farm turnouts in order to maximize on-farm efficiencies and reduce conveyance losses,” said Guy Fipps, Extension agricultural engineer and director of the Irrigation Technology Center.
Water control structures, such as the gates, can be controlled by a unit located either at the site (local automatic control) or by a unit at the monitoring station away from the site (remote automatic control).
“Remote control of the automatic control structures can be more efficient because all of the data and information is displayed at the console in the monitoring station,” Fipps said. “Positions of all water control structures can be changed simultaneously to desired levels by pushing one button.”
The IDEA Team is working to develop an equipment list and associated costs to help the districts choose the appropriate items needed for this demonstration. Districts will be required to cover the costs of equipment items such as motors and actuators. Extension will be covering the costs of the automation equipment, including the communication equipment, software, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and water level sensors.
“Increasing the efficiency of water used in agriculture is essential to support rural livelihoods, sufficient food production for the growing population, and continued social and economic development,” Fipps said. “With current
development of SCADA technology it is now possible to think of developing and implementing centralized and automated canal control approaches that would allow the simultaneous operation of multiple control structures.”
These approaches would be more effective than current manual operations and would lead to optimization of canal water management procedures, he said.
According to the 2003 DLID Water Conservation Project Report, the estimated quantity of water lost due to system spills is approximately 7.5 percent of the annual irrigation water diversted or 5,678 acre-feet per year. Aproximately 3 to 5 percent, or 2,271 to 3,785 acre-feet per year, of the annual irrigation water diverted is estimated to be saved by implementation of canal automation.
“As the district gains more control of their irrigation system you will see more timely on-farm irrigation, which will increase the on-farm efficiency and decrease operating costs of the district,” said Eric Leigh, Extension associate in biological and agricultural engineering.
The IDEA Team on this project expects the DLID SCADA system to improve water use efficiency, facilitate the scheduling of water delivery, and planning for ongoing maintenance and future rehabilitation programs.
“Delta Lake Irrigation District’s canal automation project will serve as a model for replication of similar projects around the Lower Rio Grande Valley,” Fipps said.
The Irrigation District Engineering & Assistance (IDEA) team plans to implement two additional demonstrations at United Irrigation District and in El Paso.
This project is made possible with funding from the Rio Grande Basin Initiative, administered through Texas Water Resources Institute.
