Automating Piute Dam and the eight canals that it serves
Date
2009-11
Authors
Durtschi, Blake E., author
U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
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Abstract
Piute Dam and Reservoir are located on the upper Sevier River in south central Utah. The reservoir has a capacity of 60,000 AF and serves eight canal companies located around the city of Richfield. Because of lag times between the reservoir and the various canals and an unregulated inflow below the dam (Clear Creek), setting reservoir releases is an art (and not always successful). Too much or too little water at the lowest canal diversion is a problem. Several years ago, a gate actuator was installed on Piute Dam outlet works. Telemetry to the dam was also established. This summer, the Piute Reservoir and Canal Company and Bureau of Reclamation will be fully automating the dam. The focus of this work has been to design a forecasting model for use in calculating a suggested reservoir release. This decision-support tool uses hourly measurements from a real-time monitoring system (www.sevierriver.org) to design a control algorithm for the reservoir release. The most efficient controller is then determined through simulation. This paper shows how the model and controller were implemented using the existing SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system for the 2009 irrigation season. The benefits from using the controller will be estimated. Demand forecasts for the individual canals will be provided using the existing website of the Sevier River Water Users Association (www.sevierriver.org). This Internet-based system will also be used to control the individual gates on the eight canals. Proper security is being installed to protect the integrity of the automation system.
Description
Presented at the fifth international conference on irrigation and drainage, Irrigation and drainage for food, energy and the environment on November 3-6, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah.