OBJECTIVE 1 Irrigation District Infrastructure Studies or support of the program authorized under Public Law 106

Public Law 106 (2000) Authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to establish a cost-share program for irrigation district rehabilitation Applies to U.S. irrigation districts along the Texas – Mexico border $ match: 50% federal, up to 40% state at least 10% local

Website (http://idea.tamu.edu) Legislative Documents Public Law 106-576 Rio Grande Basin Initiative Tasks 1 & 3 Reports & Documents BOR Guidelines Irrigation District Background Information Continue to Correct and Update Information through out the Project. Add water savings and specific activities on each project.

Ag Engineering Project Team (current “DMS Team”) Extension Ag Engineers Paul Colaizzi, Juan Enciso, Guy Fipps Professional Staff Eric Leigh – Extension Associate (Weslaco) Dr. Yanbo Huang – Extension Associate (C.S.) David Flahive – Programmer/Analyst (C.S.) Martin Barroso – Technician I (Weslaco)

Why District Rehabilitation? Agriculture is the only source of water for future municipal and industrial needs Potential water savings in Region M from district improvements is 211,000 ac-ft/yr

Why District Rehabilitation? Region M Regional Water Plan* Avg. conveyance efficiency – 64% Avg. condition rating of concrete canals is 6.4 (scale 1 to 10) at least 34 major spill sites in region *(Fipps, et al., 2000)

Rehab Project Support Provide assistance to districts as needed Needs and activities vary depending on: Where district is in planning process Needs and expertise of district’s consultants Existing capabilities of district personnel Status of database and map availability

Mapping and General Planning Support GIS Mapping of Main Distribution Networks Assembling network attribute data (canal pipeline material, size, etc.)

GIS Mapping to be Completed Summer 2002

Mapping and General Planning Support Technical Assistance and Training for Districts: Developing in-house GIS capabilities Database organization and integration with GIS Collecting and organizing info needed for rehab planning

Mapping and General Planning Support Developing customized database and GIS tools and “scripts” for: day to day district operation/management producing reports

Analysis of Current Conditions and Infrastructure Needs Assistance on: Rating of canal and distribution network conditions Documenting the extent of head and on-farm water delivery problems Measuring spill and seepage loss

Analysis of Current Conditions and Infrastructure Needs Examples:(in the past year) Conducted 8 canal loss tests with 2 districts Working with United to rate the condition of all their canals Produced 4 maps of all or portions of districts for 4 irrigation districts

Determining and Measuring Water Savings Examples Determine system requirements to maximize head pressure at farm turnouts San Benito Irrigation District (Spring/Summer 2002) Analyze database integrated with GIS maps to forecast future system demands

Monitoring and Verification Assistance in designing/conducting monitoring and measurement programs to document actual water and energy benefits of completed projects

Procedures and Methods Working with Districts, we are developing recommended procedures and handbooks for determining water and energy benefits of rehabilitation projects by project classification

Procedures and Methods Types of Benefits Possible benefits of canal replacement with pipeline: reduction in seepage losses improvement of head and on-farm water delivery better operation of distribution network reduction in maintenance costs

Ponding Tests How do we get cost-effective, accurate results ?

Procedures and Methods Determining Seepage Loss Rates in canals How long should tests be run? How many gauging locations are needed? How do changes in canal shape in a test section affect results? How to accurately measure earthen canal cross section? Should seepage losses be modeled over time to account for changes in shallow groundwater depths?

Procedures and Methods Determining Seepage Loss Rates in canals Does the amount of water loss through earthen dams affect loss rates? Are there other alternatives than ponding tests? How do maintenance and vegetative control affect seepage losses? How critical are changes in soil types and silting of canals ? Is is necessary to separate seepages losses from leaks through gates?

Procedures and Methods Project Classifications Canal replacement with pipeline Canal re-lining Spill loss recovery Automatic gates and flow control Water measuring structures On-farm water measurement and meeting Changing reservoir and distribution network capacity Pumping plant replacement Changing distribution network management