Classes > ID School of Irrigation
Irrigation District School of Irrigation
Flow Measurement: January 8-10, 2025 (ITRC)
February 18-20, 2025 (Chico)
February 26-28, 2025 (ITRC) Full for 2025
Pumps: February 5-7, 2025
SCADA: The SCADA class is full for 2025.
Please call (805) 756-2434 or email clnorris@calpoly.edu to be added to waitlists.
Eligibility
This class is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, California-Great Basin Region. Priority registration is given to staff members of districts within the California-Great Basin Region. Other participants will be permitted only as space allows. If you work outside of the CGB region, please contact our office to be placed on a waitlist.
Course Descriptions
All fees include class materials and software.
Flow Measurement
Fee: $150
This three-day course is a series of training and educational opportunities for staff, field operators, engineers, and board members of agricultural irrigation/water districts. The classes held in San Luis Obispo utilize the excellent indoor and outdoor facilities at ITRC. Annual flow measurement and canal operations training is also offered for operators in the Chico area in cooperation with CSU Chico (Click here for details about the Chico training). The course includes the following topics:
- Flow Measurement - General and Pipelines: Principles of flow measurement for open and closed systems; common measurement devices - propeller, velocity head, venturi, metergate; how to take accurate readings; what to watch out for.
- Flow Measurement - Canals: Equations for canals; weirs and flumes; corrections for common problems; current metering.
- Canal Operations: The service concept, including farmer constraints and needs; purposes of different check structures; water level vs. flow rate control; minimizing tailender problem while still achieving good service; how to get more water through various structures; introduction to SCADA; interaction between canals and turnouts.
SCADA - full for 2025
Fee: $250
This course (go to class page to register) provides an overview of Supervisory Data and Acquisition (SCADA) systems, starting with electric and electronic fundamentals and moving on to typical technician roles and responsibilities. Learn about and practice:
- Wiring basic monitoring and control circuits
- AC and DC power sources and overload protection
- Off-grid solar and battery systems
- Reading wiring diagrams and manufacturer data sheets
- Sensor overview, wiring, and calibration
- Introduction to Programmable Logic Controller programming with Structured Text
- Introduction to touchscreen configuration
- Radio path testing
- Introduction to Human-Machine-Interface (HMI)
- Troubleshooting
Pumps (Winter)
Fee: $150
Types of rotating pumps, pump terms, pump curves, pumps in series and parallel, system curves, TDH computations for vertical and booster pumps, efficiency, WHP, BHP, input HP, pump selection from catalogs, trimming impellers, answers to common pump questions.Net positive suction head, submersible pumps, well screens, shaft losses, shaft sizing, maintenance and troubleshooting, variable frequency drive (VFD) basics, retrofitting VFDs on existing motors, affinity laws for variable speed operation, how to estimate savings from VFDs, hands-on VFD application, power factor correction, inlet and sump design. This class is also offered every summer as part of our Designer/Manager series. Click here for more information.