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Bridging-the-Headgate in Nebraska
Reclamation in Nebraska
Irrigation Forums
Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) continues to host “Irrigation Forums” across the state. The Irrigation Forums are typically one day meetings of NRCS, Reclamation, University Extension, State Agency, Irrigation Vendors, etc for sharing technology and networking on items of common interest. Speakers and experts in a variety of irrigation areas are invited to present new technologies, report program guidelines, and/or share expertise with the audience on irrigation topics. These forums have been very popular and well attended. The meetings have also provided an excellent opportunity for agencies to coordinate conservation program efforts.
Water Measurement and Improved Delivery Service Demonstration
Reclamation is providing technical and financial assistance for a water measuremet and improved delivery service demonstration to the Pioneer Irrigation District. The Pioneer Irrigation District is located in eastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska. Reclamation has been assisting the District with installation of various types of water measurement devices and structures at farm delivery points. Reclamation also assisted landowners with delivery improvements such as trash screening devices, which allow landowners to upgrade to more efficiency on-farm irrigation systems such as sprinklers and gated pipe. Technical assistance is being provided by Reclamation’s Water Resources Research Laboratory and Nebraska-Kansas Area Office (NKAO)and financial assistance is being provided through Reclamation’s Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) and the Bridging-the-Headgate (BTH) Partnership.
Agricultural Water Management and Systems Modernization Workshop
A one-day technical workshop on agricultural water systems management and modernization was held on April 8, 2003 in Gering, Nebraska. Topics included agricultural water management issues, technologies for stretching agricultural water supplies, evaluating system modernization needs, developments in automation of canals and pipelines, advancements in flow measurement, available federal assistance programs, and local irrigation district case studies. The workshop was conducted by staff from the Irrigation Training and Research Center of the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, as well as Reclamation, NRCS and local irrigation district staff. Sponsors of the workshop included the National Water Resources Association, the Wyoming Water Association, local Natural Resource Districts, and the Bureau of Reclamation under the Bridging-the-Headgate partnership.
Canal Trash Screening Demonstration
Reclamation and the NRCS worked with the Twin Platte Natural Resources District (NRD) in western Nebraska to demonstrate canal screening technology to surface irrigators in the Twin Platte area. Surface water irrigators in the Twin Platte Natural Resources District have hesitated to install and utilize center pivot or surge irrigation methods due to a lack of confidence in trash screening devices. Many of the fields irrigated with surface water are ideal locations for center pivot and/or surge irrigation but trash concerns have kept irrigators from installing pivots or surge systems. This program will increase the utilization of center pivot and surge irrigation, improve nutrient management, improve water management practices, and reduce the deep percolation of nitrates into the groundwater. Reclamation provided financial assistance through a cooperative agreement for a number of the demonstration sites through the WCFSP and the BTH Program.
Water Measurement Video
NRCS, University of Nebraska Extension Service, and Reclamation’s Nebraska-Kansas Area Office and Water Resources Research Lab worked jointly to produce an instructional video titled “Irrigation Flow Measurement in Pipe Systems”. This video provides information on the importance of water measurement and the selection, installation, and operation and maintenance of water measurement devices in piped systems.
Many videos are available for open channel flow but a need for a pipe measurement was identified. The target audience for this video is landowners, farmers, irrigators, and others in the water resource field. The video can be used as a training tool for water specialists not familiar with pipe measurement devices and methods. Reclamation provided financial and technical assistance for this video through the WCFSP and the BTH program.
Water Measurement Course
Reclamation hosted a water measurement course in February, 2000 at University of Nebraska’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The course originated in response to water measurement requirements initiated due to a water quality protection area declaration. The course was instructed by personnel from Reclamation’s Water Resource Research Lab in Denver and was attended and sponsored by Reclamation (NKAO and WYAO), NRCS, the North Platte Natural Resource District, and the UNL Extension Service. Local irrigation district personnel also attended. The course was provided through the WCFSP and the BTH program.
Subsurface Drip Irrigation Demonstration
Through an agreement with Middle Republican Natural Resource District, and with technical assistance from NRCS, and Reclamations NKAO co-sponsored a sub-surface drip irrigation demonstration project in southwestern Nebraska.
Surge Valve Loaner Program in Republican Basin
In the spring of 1999, Reclamation’s (NKAO and WYAO) Offices approached managers of the Frenchman Valley and Hitchcock and Red Willow and the Frenchman-Cambridge irrigation districts with a proposal to provide funding for the purchase of 18 irrigation surge valves. The funding was part of the Bureau’s “Bridging the Headgate” conservation program and the valves were used to implement a voluntary surge valve loaner program within each irrigation district.
The valves were loaned out to producers for an entire irrigation season in order for them to familiarize themselves with their use and operation. An agreement was reached with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide technical assistance to the producers with the initial set-up of the surge valves and with any in-season adjustments that were necessary to maximize their performance.
At the end of the irrigation season, the valves were returned to the district in order for them to be loaned out to different producers the following season. In most cases, the producers involved in the program wished to continue use of the surge valve system and the NRCS staff was able to provide them with technical assistance and cost-share funding to facilitate this conservation practice.
The loaner program was very active for a period of four or five years, until the current drought conditions took their toll upon the district’s surface water supplies. Since 2003, the irrigation districts have been loaning a few of their valves out to district producers who irrigate with well water.
The Frenchman Valley and Hitchcock and Red Willow irrigation district also made use of “Bridging-the-Headgate” funding for the purchase and installation of an automatic check gate on one of the district irrigation lateral canals. They also used funding to sponsor UNL Extension Service demonstration plots highlighting “Limited and Deficit Irrigation Methods”.
Winflume
Two large scale canal measuring devices were constructed and an inexpensive pipe meter was tested in western Nebraska under the Bridging-the-Head-Gate program. A broad crested weir, also known as a "ramp flume", was built on the Farmers Irrigation District main canal near Henry, Nebraska. The ramp flume has a capacity of 1500 cfs with a 77 feet wide bottom by 3 feet high crest. The flume was constructed of reinforced concrete on the earth canal. Design was prepared by Natural Resources Conservation Service engineers in the Scottsbluff field office and constructed by Farmers Irrigation District personnel with assistance by a local contractor for concrete work. Another ramp flume was designed by NRCS and constructed on Gering Irrigation District (GID) main canal near Scotts Bluff Monument by a local contractor. The GID flume has a capacity of 200 cfs with a 24 feet wide bottom by 2 feet high crest. The reinforced concrete flume was constructed on the existing concrete lined canal. Each of these devices afforded the respective irrigation districts accurate continuous measurement for water management. The designs were prepared using the Winflume program developed by Bureau of Reclamation and provided by the Wyoming Area Office.
Elbow Meter
The Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation with the NRCS created and tested "elbow" meters that could be constructed inexpensively from local sources. The flow measurement was formulated through a pressure differential at two different locations on the pipeline elbow. The measuring device is intended for surface pipe used in furrow irrigation. These devices do not have the recording / totalizing capability but could be used as management tool by the farmer where water is split from a main pipeline.
Five District Tour
On November 2 and 3, 2004, the OTAO sponsored a tour with assistance from NRCS staff in Nebraska of five districts located along the Platte River in Eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Goshen, Gering and Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District were toured on November 2 and Pathfinder and Farmers Irrigation Districts were toured on November 3. The objective of the trip was to share knowledge among irrigation District managers of new and innovative water management techniques used in the operation and maintenance of irrigation facilities. The trip exposed attendees to a wider variety of modern irrigation systems and ideas. Irrigation District mangers participated from Oklahoma, Texas and South Dakota.
