water to farmers in a flexible and equitable manner. Note that this statement of “provide water to farmers in a flexible and equitable manner” has been preceded by many statements that have nothing to do with helping farmers utilize their drip or sprinkler systems better.
Defining modernization
Modernization specifically refers to “technical, managerial and organizational upgrading, as opposed to mere physical rehabilitation, of irrigation schemes with the objective to improve resource utilization (labor, water, economics, environmental) and water delivery service to farms.” Modernization investment focuses on the details of the inner workings of an irrigation project as opposed to traditional simple and broad-brush investments in canal lining or rehabilitation.
Modernization is a process that sets specific objectives and selects specific actions and tools to achieve them. Managers and engineers for irrigation projects frequently confuse practices such as canal lining and automation with modernization. Such tools may be very important, but they may also be the lowest priority if one examines the entire process that impacts performance.
As an irrigation and drainage engineer, I have worked on several hundred
modernization projects throughout the United States and internationally. In the United States, a modernization project is typically driven by external pressures such as conforming to new environmental discharge requirements or reducing energy consumption. In all cases of good modernization projects, every attempt is made to consciously improve irrigation water delivery service to agricultural fields while meeting those other objectives.
Modernization costs
The cost of a modernization project in an irrigation district is huge. It is not uncommon to identify a modernization cost of $15 million – $150 million for a district of 50,000 acres. In most cases that budget will not provide a complete overhaul of a district’s operation and efficiency. But, the crops and incomes from many irrigation projects cannot provide those levels of funding. In August 2017, the United States Bureau of Reclamation listed about $25 million in grants to irrigation districts, which is helpful — but obviously
does not begin to meet the needs. Some states provide funds, and water transfers have often funded modernization efforts. But, the needs far outstrip the available financial resources.
Modernization engineering
Modernization of irrigation districts is a special type of engineering that requires knowledge of on-farm irrigation requirements. It also requires an understanding of basin water balances, flow measurement, pumps, salinity, groundwater, automation, supervisory control and data acquisition, economics, and the special equipment and theory used to control flows in pipelines and canals and water levels in canals. Furthermore, it requires a systems approach to a whole project — rather than just looking at a single structure. Social and political aspects are almost always involved. Those who are interested in learning more about the subject can find reports and papers at
www.itrc.org.
Charles M. Burt, PhD, PE, CID, CAIS, is a professor emeritus of irrigation and
chairman and founder of the Irrigation Training and Research Center at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, where he has worked in research and education for 39 years. Burt has been active in the IA since its
early years when it was called the Sprinkler Irrigation Association and currently serves on the Awards and Honors Committee. He was IA’s Person of the Year in 1997 and has helped author numerous IA education books and resources.
Modernization of an old canal check structure with new automated structures and special control logic
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