Several Sources of Nonuniformity in Irrigation Delivery Flows
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 115, Issue 6
Abstract
A lateral canal in a southwestern U.S. irrigation district was instrumented for continuous monitoring. Deliveries were flexibly scheduled; farmers arranged timing, rate, and duration with the district. The distribution of measured variables showed that the lateral was operated under a wide variety of demand and operational conditions and that farm delivery flows were frequently not uniform due to changing conditions along the lateral. Flows that are unpredictably variable affect the performance and evaluation of on‐farm application systems and, unless controlled, can negate the benefits of flexible scheduling (more precise management). Statistical analysis of 286 deliveries to nine farm turnouts indentified a number of sources of nonuniform flows which were a combination of canal hydraulics and operational characteristics. Time of year that deliveries occurred was shown to affect uniformity, as were median flow rate, delivery duration, and location of turnouts, both within a pool between two check structures and along the lateral. Identifying sources of nonuniformities is an important first step in devising structural and operational controls to improve delivery uniformity.
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References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 115 • Issue 6 • December 1989
Pages: 920 - 937
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 ASCE.
History
Published online: Dec 1, 1989
Published in print: Dec 1989
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