ITRC has provided selected reports written by our staff for use online. Below, the report titles and other information have been provided. The hyperlink (usually blue underlined text) at the bottom of this information will take you to a download link or a table of contents. The table of contents lets you access individual chapters for reading and printing. A step-by-step process to view the reports has been provided below.

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Click here for a list of the reports by ITRC Report No.

Reports currently available on-line:

A   B   C   D   E   F-H   I   L-M  N  P   R   S   T   U-V   W

Reports listed in alphabetical order

A

Actuators for Sluice Gates - Alternatives to Commercially Available Products
ITRC Report No. R 00-006
Gate actuators provide a method of raising and lowering canal gates using electric motors instead of human power. ITRC has investigated four alternatives to commercially available actuators designed specifically for the operation of canal gates.
Canal gate actuator, sluice gate actuator, screw jack . . .
Sponsors: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region and USBR, Yuma Area Office
 

Adjustable Magnetic Coupler
ITRC Report No. R 01-005
Efficiency in terms of power consumption is vital and continues to be increasingly important. The use of adjustable speed pumps can reduce energy consumption and improve controllability of pressure or flows. One such technology, the MagnaDrive coupler, has been developed for service in a variety of applications.
Sponsor: California Energy Commission

 

B

Basic Design of Replogle Flumes
ITRC Report No. R 02-010
To facilitate accurate flow measurement, this paper describes specific design and construction considerations applicable to Replogle flumes in irrigation applications.  A design example is provided to illustrate these concepts.
Sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region
 

Benchmarking of Flexibility and Needs 2000
Survey of Irrigation Districts
ITRC Report No. R 00-005
ITRC interviewed irrigation district personnel from 60 agricultural district representing approximately 91% of the irrigated acreage within the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation's (USBR) Mid-Pacific Region. The purpose of this Survey was to: identify the extent of flexibility of water delivery presently offered by irrigation and water districts to farmers; identify educational programs in which districts currently participate or have accomplished; and identify improvements which can be made in regards to technology and water conservation and what types of assistance districts will require in the future to make those improvements.
Sponsor: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region
 

Benchmarking of Flexibility and Needs 2002
Survey of Non-Federal Irrigation Districts
ITRC Report No. R 02-007
ITRC interviewed irrigation district personnel from 17 agricultural districts throughout California. Data were analyzed to determine the degree of water delivery flexibility provided to farmers and the extent of existing and planned district modernization. This report did not include irrigation districts with long-term federal contracts.
Sponsor: California Department of Water Resources
 

Bottom Mounted Doppler Flow Meter for Canals
ITRC Report No. R 01-004

Doppler technology, similar to that used by meteorologist to track weather patterns, has been developed and expanded to fill the need for advanced water flow measurement technology that is relatively easy to use, applicable to various hydraulic conditions, and very accurate. This report discusses the operation of doppler units, provides a comparison of the technology, benefits, cost, and use.
Sponsors: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California Energy Commission

Buried Drip Irrigation on Pistachios Study - Munger-Poonian Land and Farming Co.
ITRC Report No. R 96-003
A multi-year study and technical support were conducted on commercial fields of pistachios, apples, table grapes, wine grapes, and blueberries in central California. The learning curve required by growers, and energy and irrigation efficiencies was documented.
 

C
California Agricultural Water Electrical Energy Requirements - Final Report
ITRC Report No. R 03-006
ITRC conducted an analysis of the energy used to supply water to California's agriculture and examined potential future trends in the agriculture water community to predict future energy requirements.

California Crop and Soil Evapotranspiration
ITRC Report No. R 03-001
The goal of this publication is to provide water users, consultants, water agency personnel, and others throughout California with information that will: (a) help individual water users with irrigation scheduling and system design and (b) help agricultural water agency personnel with water balances and future planning.
(Formerly posted as: Crop and Soil Evapotranspiration for California - ITRC Report No. R 02-005)
 

Canal Flow Rate Measurement Guidelines - ITRC 2005: Hydroacoustic Meters
ITRC Report No. R 05-002
Hydroacoustic flow meters provide remote velocity sampling and integrated flow measurement based on the physical principle called the Doppler shift.

CEC Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program - Final Report

ITRC Report No. R 05-003

Sponsor: California Energy Commission

ITRC Report No. R 03-011
This article answers basic questions about chemigation and fertigation, including definitions, safety concerns, general rules, and hints for fertigation systems.
Sponsor: California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR)

D

Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District: Variable Frequency Drive Study
ITRC Report No. R 95-001
This study examined the pump station operation at Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District after the installation of a variable frequency drive (VFD) control.  A detailed evaluation was made in order to develop specific recommendations on the operation and use of VFDs.
 

District Application of Hand Held Data Recorder Technology
ITRC Report No. R 99-005
A hand held data recorder (HHDR) enables a district to collect field data in a quick and virtually error-free manner. The data gathered with HHDRs depend on each district's needs: meter readings-totalizer, meter flow rates, crop type and double crop tracking, crop growth stage, meter status, maintenance codes for meter repairs, maintenance codes for meter area, water use type, pump runtimes, weather data, and power meter readings.
Sponsor: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region
 

Doppler Flow Meters for Turnouts
ITRC Report No. R 02-004
Irrigation districts, farmers and other agricultural and environmental water users need reliable and low-cost flow meters with integrated dataloggers to measure water velocity and depth with a high level of precision. The Irrigation Training and Research Center has undertaken a performance review of advanced electronic flow measurement technologies in irrigation applications. Examples are the Unidata STARFLOW and the MACE AgriFlo Ultrasonic Doppler Meters.
Sponsors: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California Energy Commission
 

Drip/Micro Irrigation Survey for Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District
ITRC Report No. R 98-002
DEID obtained a grant from USBR Mid-Pacific region to examine perceptions of its farmers regarding future conversions to drip and micro-irrigation. DEID then contracted with the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to conduct and analyze a survey of DEID farmers with the objectives of answering several questions. This report presents the pertinent data and results from the survey.
 

E

Electric Motor Efficiency under Variable Frequencies and Loads

ITRC Report No. R 06-004

The primary research objective of this study was to determine motor efficiencies under varying speeds (induced by a VFD controller) and loads.  A broader objective was to provide sufficient information to designers and economists so that they could estimate total pumping plant power usage with a VFD-controlled installation.  Motors were tested with VFDs as well as across-the-line.

Estimating the Payback for an Electrical VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) Application in a Pumping Plant Which Presently Spills Excess Pumpage
ITRC Report No. R 94-002
This report includes equations and tips for pump selection criteria and estimating the annual KW-HR savings for a VFD installation, including the maximum potential savings and the approximate amount of KW-HR that would have been consumed if one pump had been converted to VFD.
 

Evaluation and Modification of a Float Valve for the Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District (DEID)
ITRC Report No. R 01-011
This report discusses the evaluation and modification of a float valve for the Delano Earlimart Irrigation District (DEID).  The float valve is one part of the system that DEID uses to meet growers' water needs.  The float valve assembly includes a frame, float, guide for the float, linkage, and a butterfly valve.  Preliminary tests showed that waterhammer was evident at DEID and posed a potential problem.  After working with DEID and making two modifications to the float valve, field tests indicate that corrections made to the assembly improved the operation and aids in the prevention of waterhammer.  
 

Evaluation of Anti-fouling Paints
ITRC Report No. R 00-004
Algae and other growth on Replogle flumes, often used as flow measurement devices in irrigation canals, can effect the accuracy of measurements in those canals. Research was conducted to find a product that would prevent buildup on the flumes. Hard Anti-fouling paint, designed to be applied to concrete rather than fiberglass, wood, steel or iron, was the type of paint used in this study.
Replogle flume, Hard Anti-fouling paint, flow measurement, irrigation canals, cuprous oxide
Sponsor: USBR, Yuma Area Office
 

Evaporation from Irrigated Agricultural Land in California
ITRC Report No. R 02-001
The intent of this research was to consolidate existing information on evaporation through literature reviews and interviews, and to compute evaporation amounts for representative conditions in California and use those amounts to extrapolate information for the complete irrigated agricultural area of California. This research was to address the question of the approximate magnitude of evaporation - a key piece of knowledge when defining the level of resources that should be committed to solving any problem.
 

F

Flap Gate
ITRC Report No. R 07-003
ITRC began to investigate early designs of Flap Gates in 1992. Originating in Holland in the 1940s, the Flap Gate is a simple, inexpensive hydraulic gate for automatic upstream water level control. This report includes information on design (the Microsoft Excel files available for download), installation, maintenance, water conservation and efficiency, cost, use, and benefits.
Sponsor: California Energy Commission
 

G

Government Highline Canal - A Win-Win Solution
ITRC Report No. R 03-009
ITRC performed canal modernization on the Government Highline Canal in the form of automated canal structures, in-system storage, and new operational procedures that could significantly reduce operational spill.  Updated July 2006
Sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Western Colorado Area Office
 

H

Hand Held Data Recorder (HHDR)
ITRC Report No. R 99-004
An HHDR is used to collect data from the field and to download that data to a database to generate reports for meters in the irrigation districts.
Sponsor: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region
 

I

Infrared Inspection
ITRC Report No. R 02-003
Infrared thermography is the use of infrared radiation to qualitatively and quantitatively express heat signatures and heat differences. Infrared inspection can help identify weak connections in an electrical box, uneven heating of pump windings, overheating of bearings, and many other possibly devastating problems well before any failure occurs. The use of thermography as a preventative tool can increase system reliability and efficiency.

 

Irrigation Consumer Bill of Rights
ITRC Report No. R 01-007
Cal Poly ITRC, together with various irrigation industry leaders and the Irrigation Dealers Association of California, plus with assistance from the California Energy Commission and Pacific Gas & Electric Co., developed the Irrigation Consumer Bill of Rights™ (ICBR™) in 1994. 

 

Irrigation District Observations on Large Diameter, Low Pressure Pipeline Materials
ITRC Report No. R 04-003
ITRC conducted a brainstorming session with representatives from irrigation districts and engineering firms to discuss replacement options for cast-in-place pipelines.
Sponsor: California Energy Commission

 

ITRC SCADA Integrators List
ITRC Report No. R 00-003
(Updated in June 2002). ITRC has compiled this list of "integrator" companies for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The list comes from ITRC's direct involvement with some of them on projects, as well as from recommendations given by other organizations.
 

ITRC Weir Stick
ITRC Report No. R 03-008
ITRC developed a new weir rule for open-channel flow rate measurement.
Sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region
 

L

Load Monitoring System
ITRC Report No. R 01-002
Arvin-Edison Water Storage District received a loan - from the CEC's loan program for the development of new energy conservation technology - in 1995 to develop a program with variable frequency drives. This report discusses the design of the "Load Monitoring System", cost, the need for such a system, initial start-up challenges, configuration options, and benefits.
Sponsor: California Energy Commission
 

Lookout vs. Intellution Comparison
ITRC Report No. R 01-006
A systematic evaluation was performed on two Human Machine Interface software packages (Lookout from National Instruments and iFIX from Intellution). This was accomplished with a simulated, automated water level control system, using a Control Microsystems SCADAPack PLC. Through the evaluation, Lookout clearly outperformed iFIX in nearly all categories.
 

M

Managing District Data Needs - Narrowing in on a Moving Target
ITRC Report No. R 99-003
Ditchriders in San Luis Water District, Panoche Water District, Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District, Westside Water District, glide-Kanawha Water District, and Central California Irrigation district use or are beginning to use hand held data recorders (HHDR) to gather field information.
Sponsor: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region
 

Modern Water Control and Management Practices in Irrigation: Impact on Performance
ITRC Report No. R 98-001
This research addressed the basic questions of what levels of water delivery service are presently provided by irrigation projects having some aspect of modernization; what hardware and software features impact those levels of service; whether modern water control and management practices in irrigation make a positive difference in performance; and what universal lessons can be learned and applied.  The full published report is also available from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO Water Report 19, ISBN 92-5-104282-9, publications-sales@fao.org
 

N
Non-Standard Structure Flow Measurement Evaluation Using the Flow Rate Indexing Procedure - QIP

ITRC Report No. R 06-003

This report details the proper installation and calibration techniques for hydroacoustic meters.  The calibration procedure developed as part of this study is called the Flow Rate Indexing Procedure (QIP).  The QIP can be competed by a professional technician with a boat-mounted Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP) or a standard current meter.  Once the QIP has been used to properly calibrate a hydroacoustic flow meter, the device can then measure and record the flow rate and volume in a channel to within +/- 6% of actual values.

P

Power Quality - Measurement and Conditioning Related to Variable Frequency Drives in Irrigation Districts  

ITRC Report No. R 04-002
ITRC completed a study to examine the quality of electric power that supplies motors for irrigation pumps.
Sponsor: California Energy Commission
 

Proceso de Evaluación Rápido (RAP) y Comparación con el Patrón de Referencia (Benchmarking)
ITRC Report No. R 01-009
Este documento explica el proceso del diagnóstico rápido para proyectos de riego (sistemas de canales). El proceso fue desarrolado por Drs. Charles Burt y Stuart Styles por parte del Banco Mundial y el FAO. El documento explica una programa en EXCEL. Tambien hay dos spreadsheets de EXCEL abajo - uno blanco, y otro para un ejemplo del proceso de diagnóstico rápido.

Soil Salinity Accumulation in Orchards with Drip and Micro-spray Irrigation in Arid Areas of California
ITRC Report No. R 03-005
A soil slinity accumulation study was conducted to examine the long-term impact of drip and micro irrigation on salinity build-up in orchards, focusing on the salinity concentration pattern across a soil profile. The study assessed the current level of salinity accumulation in orchards irrigated with drip/micro systems and provided information to support recommendations on the most effective and efficient leaching techniques.


Status and Needs Assessment: Survey of Irrigation Districts - USBR Mid-Pacific Region
ITRC Report No. R 96-004
ITRC gathered data from 61 agricultural districts in the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation's (USBR) Mid-Pacific Region by interviewing irrigation district personnel and studying their Water Conservation Plans.  These districts comprise about 90% of the irrigated acreage in the Mid-Pacific Region.  Data were analyzed to determine general demographic information, the degree of water delivery flexibility provided to farmers, and the extent of existing and planned district modernization.
 

T

Telog PR-31 Water Level Tracker
ITRC Report No. R 03-007
ITRC conducted a performance review of advanced electronic water level measurement technologies in irrigation applications. An example is the Telog PR-31 Level Tracker.
Sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region
 

U
Underground Pipe Locating Demonstration at Arvin-Edison Water Storage District
ITRC Report No. R 03-010
ITRC arranged an underground pipe locating demonstration/presentation at the district in August 2003.
Sponsor: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region
 

V

Variable Frequency Drives - Planning your system
ITRC Report No. R 02-009
Many irrigation districts are installing Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to increase their level of service to their customers and/or to reduce their energy consumption.  This brochure is intended to help irrigation districts properly evaluate what type of VFD they need and how to install it.
 

Variable Frequency Drives and SCADA - Are they worthwhile investments?
ITRC Report No. R 02-006
Managers and personnel from five California irrigation districts were interviewed to determine if installing variable frequency drives (VFD) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems were worthwhile investments.
 

VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) Specifications for Irrigation District Applications
ITRC Report No. R 04-004
This information was compiled by ITRC under the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) End Use Agricultural Sector Program, administered by the California Energy Commission, and includes specifications for standards, warranties, submittals, VFD size, and other technical details to aid districts in the selection and implementation of VFD systems.
Replaces ITRC Report No. R 03-002

Volumetric Water Pricing

ITRC Report No. R 06-002

This report discusses volumetric pricing for irrigation water, separated into the following sections: 1) The justification for paying volumetrically, 2) The challenge of charging volumetrically, 3) Characteristics of volumetric charges and influencing factors, 4) Examples of irrigation projects with volumetric charges, and 5) A summary of necessary conditions for volumetric billing.
 

W
Water Level Sensor and Datalogger Testing and Demonstration
ITRC Report No. R 99-002
Electronic water level sensing equipment is becoming increasingly important for the implementation of water conservation programs in irrigation districts. A need has risen for information on costs, advantages/disadvantages, required support equipment, and required maintenance for the various options. ITRC conducted a yearlong study on water level sensors and dataloggers and produced this report.
Sponsor: USBR, Mid-Pacific Region
 

Well Efficiency Class - Technical Memorandum
ITRC Report No. R 04-001
ITRC conducted a well efficiency demonstration at Southern California Edison AgTAC building in Tulare, California in November 2003.
Sponsor: Southern California Edison AgTAC


 

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