Delivery system performance case study: Wellton-Mohawk irrigation and drainage district,USA

An irrigation district in southwestern Arizona was studied to assess the performance of its water delivery system. Data were obtained through monitoring of lateral canals, examining water order reports and bills, and conducting a diagnostic analysis of the water delivery and on-farm irrigation systems through interviews. A number of differences between official andde facto district operating policies were found. These policies had changed over the years and provided far more flexibility and better service than provided by the original official policy. The canal system, which was designed to be operated under upstream control, was found to be operated under a complex mixture of manual upstream and downstream control that resembled dynamic regulation. Farmers made official (recorded) water orders only about half the time. Deliveries usually occurred within one day of the ordered date, as per district policy, with more late deliveries at the tail end of the system during peak water use periods. On average, the district delivered the rate and duration ordered, but average flow rates for individual deliveries were not accurately estimated due to fluctuating flows. The two biggest shortfalls observed were the lack of water measurement records at intermediate points in the system and lack of thorough water accounting. These shortfalls appeared to have had only a minor effect on overall district objectives.