1. OBJECTIVE 1 Irrigation District Infrastructure Studiesor
support of the program authorized under Public Law 106

2. 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

3. Website (http://idea.tamu.edu) Legislative Documents
Public Law
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.

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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)

9. 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

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

11. GIS Mapping to be Completed Summer 2002

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

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

19. 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

20. 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

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

22. 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?

23. 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?

24. 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