Water Monitoring in Montana: One Irrigation District’s Success With the McCrometer McMag2000 By Lindsay Sugarman
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rrigators who have been metering for some time often have a preferred measurement technology, opting to stick with a certain style of flow monitoring device year after year. However, when flow monitoring requirements and preferences change over time, branching out to adapt new technology can bring significant advantages to everyday operations. This evolution of flow monitoring needs is just what the Sidney Water Users Irrigation District (SWUID) experienced as it implemented various McCrometer flow meters—and as it became an early adopter of McCrometer’s new McMag2000. To learn more about the SWUID’s experience with the McMag2000 and the overall McCrometer product suite, we spoke to Raymond Bell, president of the SWUID’s board of directors, about the district’s flow projects.
From Open Ditches to Pipeline Operations
Although it has been pumping water since the 1940s, the SWUID only began metering 12–14 years ago or so. It has found great success in applying for state grant money to advance its pipeline operations, including by investing in flow metering projects. In 2006, the SWUID began using McCrometer’s McPropeller meters, the original product McCrometer developed for the agricultural market more than 65 years ago. The SWUID installed multiple 27‑inch McPropeller meters off pump applications and 12‑inch meters at turnouts for field applications. Measuring the water from multiple pumps to various pipelines became the SWUID’s main flow project application, and as the district became familiar with its monitoring operations, it soon desired the ability to monitor in real time and through digital means. This led the SWUID to seek a metering solution from McCrometer that provided it with digital output options.
From Propeller Meters to Mags
26 | IRRIGATION LEADER | July/August 2021
Custom to Customer
The similarity in price between the McPropeller and the McMag2000 was particularly appealing to the SWUID, but there were many other features of the mag meter that met the district’s metering needs. The pulse-output capability allowed the district to maintain its remote monitoring, and the easy in-field maintenance kits gave the district peace of mind for future meter upkeep. “Sidney Water draws very silty, debris-filled water from the Yellowstone River,” explains Mr. Bell. “That kind of flow media can be very corrosive to propeller meters and their bearings. I’ve rebuilt a lot of the tube-style propeller meters myself. Implementing mag meters has greatly reduced our need for maintenance.” The SWUID needed an economical meter that would handle the velocity of the water at the installation site. The metering project was measuring flow off floater pumps, pushing water uphill in multiple pipelines at 12‑ and 16‑inch diameters at an average of 5,000 gallons a minute. Although the newly launched McMag2000 was intended for line sizes of 4–12 inches, the design engineers in McCrometer’s research and development department knew the meter could be customized to meet the SWUID’s needs. Since installing his initial 12‑ and 16‑inch McMag2000 meters, Bell reports satisfactory performance and has placed an order for six more McMag2000s for upcoming turnout application flow projects. Due to the demand for the McMag2000 from customers like the SWUID since its launch in February 2020, McCrometer will be extending the McMag2000’s linesize offerings to cover diameters of 4–16 inches. These additional line sizes will be available on the McMag2000 price list in summer 2021. IL
Lindsay Sugarman is the marketing campaign specialist at McCrometer. For more information about the McMag2000 or to receive a quote on your upcoming flow project, visit www.mccrometer.com/ag. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCCROMETER.
Electromagnetic (mag) meters are generally pricier than propeller meters, but the no-moving-parts design as well as potential value-added features are often a draw for irrigators. In 2016, the SWUID purchased several 12‑inch McMag3000 flow meters and used pulse output to receive constant flow data to cell phones. Rather than physically inspecting propeller meters’ dial faces for totalizer and flow rate information, the McMag3000’s digital output capabilities allow for remote meter data monitoring. The McMag3000 offers a range of features, including datalogging, DC power option, ±1 percent accuracy with factory calibration, and more. Its range of features and available higher accuracy make this product significantly more expensive than the McPropeller, and the price tag
limited the quantity that the SWUID could purchase with state grant funds. In 2020, McCrometer unveiled the McMag2000 flow meter, a product similar in design to the 3000 model but offering fewer features for a more economical price tag. The SWUID was interested and approached McCrometer about adopting the newly launched mag meter.
