Summary

Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District (DEID) delivers water through closed reinforced concrete pipelines on an arranged schedule.  Farmers are not allowed to operate their own turnouts, and individual turnout flow rate changes impact flow rates at all other turnouts on the same pipeline.  DEID is in the process of a complete modernization program which will allow the farmers to operate their own turnouts on a very flexible arranged schedule.  The modernization includes (i) a new water ordering program, (ii) new turnout designs with pressure regulators and new flow propeller flow meters, (iii) the use of hand held data recorders to document deliveries to turnouts, (iv) a SCADA system to monitor the pumping stations and key pressures, (v) integration of the SCADA system with the water ordering software, and (vi) installation of variable frequency controllers on some pumps to reduce energy consumption.