Irrigation Leader May 2018

Volume 9 Issue 5

May 2018

John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District

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CONTENTS MAY 2018 Volume 9, Issue 5

Irrigation Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by Water Strategies LLC 4 E Street SE Washington, DC 20003 STAFF: Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief John Crotty, Senior Writer Tyler Young, Writer Julia Terbrock, Graphic Designer Capital Copyediting LLC, Copyeditor SUBMISSIONS: Irrigation Leader welcomes manuscript, photography, and art submissions.

However, the right to edit or deny publishing submissions is reserved. Submissions are returned only upon request.

For more information, please contact John Crotty at (202) 698-0690 or John.Crotty@waterstrategies.com.

ADVERTISING: Irrigation Leader accepts one-quarter, half-page, and full-page ads. For more information on rates and placement, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com.

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Expanding Storage to Sustain Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley: John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District

5 The Storage Issue

By Kris Polly 6 Expanding Storage to Sustain Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley: John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District

16 The Role of Archaeology in the Development of One of the Last Reclamation Reservoirs

4

24 WATER LAW Is There a New Sheriff in Town? The Permitting of Irrigation Operations and Management by FEMA

By Paul Arrington 30 THE INNOVATORS Providing Sealing Solutions and Support at HUESKER

Copyright Š 2018 Water Strategies LLC. Irrigation Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Irrigation Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Irrigation Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Irrigation Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised. /IrrigationLeader

@IrrigationLeadr

COVER PHOTO:

John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District.

IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

12 Sheffield Reservoir: Another Milestone for the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme

20 DISTRICT PROFILE Improving Flow Accountability at the Columbia Improvement District

CIRCULATION: Irrigation Leader is distributed to irrigation district managers and boards of directors in the 17 western states, Bureau of Reclamation officials, members of Congress and committee staff, and advertising sponsors. For address corrections or additions, please contact our office at Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com.

The Storage Issue

By Kris Polly

C

reating reservoirs for irrigation and municipal water supplies was once a question of engineering and funding. Now, with competing environmental interests, reduced federal investment, and changing infrastructure priorities, water storage proponents must doggedly pursue permitting and funding. Additionally, educating local and regional groups about irrigation for political support is a new reality. This issue of Irrigation Leader contains articles about expanding storage, permitting, and technology to make the most of existing water supplies. John Sweigard, general manager of Merced Irrigation District in California, shares his district’s efforts to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expand storage and reexamine flood control curves. Sheffield Reservoir, a recently completed and fully lined reservoir that provides an additional 2-week supply of irrigation water for the Central Plains Water Limited scheme in New Zealand, is described in detail.

We also write about building the Animas-La Plata project and the required efforts to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act. Columbia Improvement District

General Manager Mark Maynard shares his district’s efforts to improve efficiencies through new meter technology, and Idaho Water Users Association Executive Director and General Counsel Paul Arrington discusses potential permitting challenges imposed on normal canal operation and maintenance activities. Finally, Roy McClinton of Huesker describes his company’s canal and reservoir liner materials, training, and seam-welding capabilities.

We hope this issue of Irrigation Leader is helpful in your efforts to improve your storage facilities and water conservation efforts. IL Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at Kris.Polly@waterstrategies.com.

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Expanding Storage to Sustain Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District

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IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

With rights dating back to the 1800s, Merced Irrigation District (MID) is a senior water rights holder on California’s Merced River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River. The irrigation district formed in 1919 and built Exchequer Dam, creating Lake McClure. MID completed the 490-foot New Exchequer Dam in 1967, impounding more than 1 million acre-feet of surface water, creating flood control space, and providing a generating capacity of 95 megawatts of renewable hydroelectric power. MID currently serves approximately 2,200 growers and more than 130,000 acres of highvalue orchards and row crops in the eastern San Joaquin Valley.

Over the years, and like most water providers in California, MID has been working to increase its water supply capacity. On June 6, the U.S.

House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018.

The legislation included an amendment from Congressmen Costa and Denham of California, as well as Congressmen McClintock and Garamendi, intended to assist MID in its efforts. Specifically, it would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accept funding from nonfederal hydroelectric operators in order to review and update reservoir operations manuals. Such a review is a critical first step in MID’s overall effort to increase the end-of-summer carry-over storage capacity of Lake McClure by 57,000 acre-feet. A review of the operations manual for Lake McClure would allow the Army Corps to consider new science and data and would be a crucial first step toward increasing the carry-over storage capacity of Lake McClure.

General Manager John Sweigard has been leading MID in its efforts to sustain and maintain a reliable supply of water and power for its farmers and customers. Mr. Sweigard has a deep

connection to the district and its agricultural history: His grandfather owned several hundred acres of rangeland across from the spillways at New Exchequer; some of that acreage is now under water. Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, spoke to Mr. Sweigard about the project, how to navigate the complexities of surface water development, and sustaining water supplies for the long term.

Kris Polly: What types of crops are grown in your district, and how are they irrigated?

John Sweigard: MID has seen a shift from annual crops to permanent crops, with orchards accounting for roughly 50 percent of irrigated acres in the district. However, there’s still a lot of support for the dairy industry in the form of alfalfa and corn. We also have small community farms that grow 20 or 30 different vegetables on a small parcels. Our growers produce every type of crop you can think of, including corn, tomatoes, and beans.

This area is one of the few areas of the world where farmers can grow organic sweet potatoes, so we have 6,000–8,000 acres of organic sweet potatoes. Surface water is very important to those growers. Water that’s higher in salinity levels, like the groundwater found here, affects the storage and the shelf-life of sweet potatoes; they start to degrade quickly if they don’t have clean surface water as part of their organic operations.

Our growers have been, and continue to be, moving rapidly toward technology and low-volume pressure systems. Flood irrigation is becoming less of a thing; drip and micro-sprinklers are taking over rather quickly.

Kris Polly: Please tell us about your district’s water supplies and the effort to increase storage behind New Exchequer Dam. John Sweigard: We’re a conjunctive-use district, so we generally rely on our surface water when it’s available. We allow groundwater recharge from our distribution system, and we have some intentional groundwater recharge projects. Generally, we rely on groundwater only as needed in drought years. Through that water balance, the district contributes a net positive to the local aquifer.

That said, groundwater is still a depleting resource, and we’re one of the high-priority basins in California addressing sustainability IRRIGATION LEADER

LEFT: During the height of the recent drought in California, Lake McCLure fell to its lowest point on record, less than 6 percent of its total capacity. The severe drought exposed the original Exchequer Dam, seen here, which has normally been under water since the larger New Exchequer Dam was constructed in the 1960s.

MID is seeking to increase capacity of Lake McClure, allowing it to store up to an additional 57,000 acre-feet of water in the reservoir, which could provide tremendous benefits in dry years.

"A lot has changed since New Exchequer was built; we have a lot more data on runoff and operations.

We think there is a better, more modern way to operate New Exchequer for all its purposes."

—JOHN SWEIGARD

through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. As with any water management agency, we’re always planning for the future and looking at trends to manage our resources.

New surface water storage projects in California are few and far between, especially when they are geared toward agriculture as opposed to urban areas. A lot has changed since when New Exchequer was built; we have a lot more data on runoff and operations.

We think there is a better, more modern way to operate New Exchequer for all its purposes.

The MID storage enhancement would raise the spillways at Lake McClure and enable the Army Corps to have use of that new space on the top of the reservoir if needed. The Army Corps will also be able to reevaluate operations via its storage and operations curves based on new information.

We believe there is an opportunity to adjust the operations curves that ultimately would allow us to carry more water over at the end of the irrigation season in October. Our numbers indicate that approximately 57,000 acre-feet could be carried over from a wet year when we have extra water—like last year—and used in some subsequent year for water supply or any other purpose of the project. That’s the general concept.

To me, this is a water resource management engineering exercise. Even though the Army Corps has the directive to update its operations manuals, it has limited resources and a variety of priorities. Existing regulations limit the ability of the Army Corps to enable MID to fund its analysis. That is what this new legislation [included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2018] does—it allows the Army Corps to accept funding from local project owners to reevaluate flood control curves. Those changes will enable MID to move forward with the continued feasibility analysis of our spillway.

Kris Polly: How has the Army Corps been involved in the expansion process?

John Sweigard: We’ve had ongoing discussions with the Army Corps. From my perspective, the Army Corps seems willing to look at the flood control curves, but for existing funding and priority limitations. I get the feeling that if we can get the funding issue fixed, then the Army Corps would be willing to take a look at

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our proposal.

We think we have a good case for modifying the operating curves and creating significant improvements for carryover storage. We’ll generally have a deeper pool in the winter months, creating cooler water. We’ll have more water supply, which will help with hydroelectric generation to meet new demands, whatever those demands might be.

Better management of wet-year water supplies benefits everybody. If we’re willing to pay for it and not ask anybody else to pay for it, I think it’s something that makes a lot of sense.

Kris Polly: Beyond your need for more storage and management flexibility, what are some of the other challenges the district is currently facing?

John Sweigard: The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is a big deal because we’re within a high-priority, overdrafted basin. We are undertaking a lot of activities to become compliant with the new groundwater law.

In addition, we are currently in the process of relicensing our hydropower plant at New Exchequer Dam with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Our final license application is in. It is likely to be quite a few more years before the environmental considerations of the licensing process get resolved.

Our surface water situation will continue to be challenged by both FERC relicensing and the California State Water Resources Control Board. The board, through the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary, has been pushing for substantially more water to bypass storage and diversion of our communities’ water supply for the purported support of salmon and other interests elsewhere. That’s a major problem for us, and quite frankly, we totally disagree with the board’s approach and flawed science.

Kris Polly: Will the expansion of surface storage provide MID with more flexibility to meet all these different requirements?

John Sweigard: I think that’s a fair statement.

The salmon issue is a complex one, but it’s even further complicated on the Merced River, because the river below our project has been altered—not by us, but before us—by historic

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dredge mining. There are a couple projects restoring the river from these deep channels where the dredgers moved rock. The goal is to create a river that looks and acts more like a normal river: one that can support salmon by creating better spawning habitat and that is combined with out-migration flows that make sense and are sustainable.

MID has spent millions of dollars developing the best science possible on the Merced River. We are promoting the Merced River SAFE Plan (Salmon, Agriculture, Flows, and Environment), which embraces a combination of both changing flows and river restoration. We believe in it, our biologists believe in it, and we think that we have more expertise on the Merced River than disconnected folks in Sacramento. We have pledged funding for SAFE projects, and we are more than willing to sit down with agencies and the nongovernmental organizations to discuss our role in funding projects that are sustainable for all.

We’ve been here on the ground for 100 years and have seen what does or does not occur. MID is willing to create solutions that will work, but we are not going to be party to a water-only solution that robs our community of its economy and water and puts people out of business in an area that provides vital food supply for the entire country. We’re reasonable people, but we will also stand up for what’s right.

Kris Polly: How did you come to the district, John?

IRRIGATION LEADER

John Sweigard: My history with the district dates back quite a while. I grew up on a cattle ranch in the district. I was a ditch tender at MID for two summers while I put myself through engineering school at Cal Poly, where I worked for the Irrigation Training and Research Center. From there, I managed a smaller district in the San Joaquin Valley for 13 years. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to come back to Merced, and I’ve been here for nearly 9 years as the general manager.

Kris Polly: You have a long history with the district.

John Sweigard: I care about the community, and I’m here for the right reasons. I do everything I can to be helpful and to ensure that folks who want to choose agriculture as their way of life continue to have the opportunity to make that choice.

Kris Polly: Where do you want the district to be in 10 years?

Water flows through one of MID’s canals in Central California. The district provides water to approximately 2,200 local farmers.

Merced Irrigation District

CALIFORNIA

John Sweigard: Our goal is to provide reliability for the future and eliminate the unknown. So, we are interested in finding sustainable arrangements with all the right folks on managing the Merced River in a responsible way that also allows us to maintain a water supply that meets the needs of our growers.

We have undertaken several efforts to try to resolve some of the challenging issues and to develop partnerships that create some certainty for agencies, nongovernmental organizations, MID, and our growers. We have spent years in some of those processes, and have pulled away because we just don’t feel like it’s worth the time when the other side is not willing to compromise. It’s their way or no way.

Kris Polly: What is your advice to other managers looking to undertake storage expansion and create certainty for the long term?

John Sweigard: You have to have a lot of patience, provide a lot of education, and be prepared to shift gears at any time. Even when a solution might be obvious from a water planning or engineering perspective, you have to be flexible enough to find another workable solution from a nonengineering perspective. IL

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Sheffield Reservoir Another Milestone for the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK MCKENZIE.

ith the recent completion of the Sheffield Reservoir, Central Plains Water Limited (CPWL) is realizing the next stage of its water enhancement plan for a section of underserved lands in New Zealand’s Canterbury Plains. The newly constructed reservoir is a lynchpin of the Sheffield Scheme, which will introduce surface water irrigation to farmers in the area for the first time. As part of the larger Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme, the Sheffield Scheme is part of the greater effort to provide surface water irrigation to the surrounding 148,263 acres of land within the Canterbury Plains.

Beginning in December 2016, CPWL began working on bringing water to the region’s high-quality soils that have unreliable rainfall while avoiding significant costs associated with traditional water pumping. Prior to the introduction of surface water, farmers who wished to irrigate their crops had to drill up to 492 feet deep to tap into groundwater at great expense.

CPWL contractors designed two sources for the Sheffield Reservoir.

Using the existing stock water network system operated by the Selwyn District Council, CPWL is directing water from the Kowai River into the new reservoir. In addition, CPWL constructed a river intake and single large pump station on the bank of the Waimakariri River to transfer 2 cubic meters of water a second into the reservoir.

In a mere 10 months from the start of construction, CPWL contractors constructed the river intake, a reservoir, and a 30-kilometer pipe distribution network. The closed system does not lose water to evaporation or ground infiltration during transport, making the Sheffield Scheme efficient and reliable.

Today, the new, fully lined reservoir covers an area close to 74 acres and is approximately 28 feet deep. All in all, the reservoir will hold 2 weeks of storage for the 10,625 acres it supports. Once the water is collected, a network of high-density polyethylene pipes will distribute 4 millimeters of the stored water a day to farmers. The scheme will also provide water for stock water, rural fire, and supplemental domestic village water supplies.

While not as large as the other elements of the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme, the reservoir is enhancing agriculture in the area. Farmers in the area have traditionally grown ryegrass, peas, corn, carrots, potatoes, radish seed, barley, and wheat; however, yields had been variable. The new water is expected to stabilize the area’s grain production. Some winter grazing and dairy farms also operate in the area. Additionally, farmers who have typically raised sheep now have an opportunity to convert their farms to dairy farms due to the water the scheme provides.

Overall, the water supply stability provided by the new surface water irrigation system is fostering new agricultural opportunities; and local stakeholders and CPWL continue to look for new efficiencies for the Sheffield system and opportunities to further expand irrigation within the Central Plains. IL IRRIGATION LEADER

Sheffield Reservoir in New Zealand's Canterbury Plains.

IRRIGATION LEADER

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The Role of Archaeology in the Development of One of the Last Reclamation Reservoirs

T

o say that the Animas-La Plata (A-LP) Project faced a multitude of political and regulatory challenges and setbacks throughout its planning and construction is an understatement. In the nearly 60 years from the A-LP’s planning authorization in 1956 to the completion of construction in 2013, Congress passed both the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act, each adding time and complexity to the already-large project. Changing support for federal investment in water projects in general and in irrigation in particular had a major effect on the A-LP.

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in 2000, Congress authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to implement and complete the revised project, and Reclamation in turn officially began construction in 2001.

Rick Gold, former Reclamation Durango office manager and subsequently the Upper Colorado regional director, described the feeling within Reclamation at the time the project plan was modified. “During that time, we at Reclamation pursued myriad issues and worked on moving the project forward so that the water supply for Colorado, New Mexico, and the tribes could be developed.”

The Requirements of History One of the unique and significant challenges the project faced was the mitigation effort needed to gain compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 and to reckon with the scope and weight of southwestern Colorado’s history and cultural resources.

The NHPA was intended to ensure the preservation of historic sites by requiring completion of an impact analysis on the proposed construction grounds. The proposed A-LP Project site was situated in a “rich archaeological region, particularly for prehistoric ancestral Puebloan, or Anasazi sites,” according to Alex Wesson, senior project manager and archaeologist for SWCA Environmental Consultants and an archeologist on the A-LP Project. The discovery and preservation process for the A-LP Project would be a major component of its permitting process.

Anticipated project impacts to over 70 archaeological sites were mitigated through a multiyear archaeological data recovery program.

Alex Wesson described the complexity of the archaeological mitigation program for the project, which “involved carefully digging in layers, IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN COOK.

Background Congress authorized the construction of the A-LP in the Colorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968. The original vision of the project was large in scope—2 dams, 7 pumping plants, and 200 miles of canals and pipelines—to serve both agricultural and municipal interests in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico.

Over the following decade, economic, political, and environmental changes challenged the development of the project.

But by the mid-1980s, the project gained new life in the Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement. Proponents of the settlement viewed the construction of the A-LP as a path toward meeting the water supply needs of the Southern Ute Indian and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. Under the leadership of thenCongressman Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the A-LP was incorporated into the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1987.

Despite the recharacterization of the project and the necessary authorization, the project struggled for another decade. Environmental groups argued that the needs of the Ute tribes could be met via other means, and Congress renewed its debate over the benefits and costs of the overall project. Those debates forged a leaner A-LP: the total elimination of irrigation, a far-less-developed water supply, a smaller offstream reservoir, a pumping plant, and an inlet conduit. Finally, with the passage of the Colorado Ute Settlement Act Amendments

FAR LEFT: Archaeological dig at the A-LP Project.

LEFT: Construction and development of the A-LP Project.

screening all the dirt, capturing all the small pieces of bones or pottery, documenting all the artifacts, analyzing the findings in the laboratory, making detailed maps of what was discovered, and using all that information to write a report . . . [then] curating and preserving the artifacts in perpetuity. This process was very time consuming because it involved multiple stages.”

Although the initial analysis started in the 1970s, changes in archaeological practices and technology sparked a reexamination of the reservoir site area in 2005 that did not conclude until 2008. During the process, archeologists collected numerous artifacts and examined human remains at the sites. According to Mr. Wesson, this led to “additional consultation with over 20 tribes and pueblos every time human remains were found . . . to coordinate the final resting place for the remains.”

Lessons Learned For projects that inevitably have to complete an archeological survey and possibly evaluation and mitigation efforts to become compliant with a regulation, Mr. Wesson recommended that the best action is to “start the process early, rather than waiting.” He asserted that “factoring in consultation and preservation after the design phase . . . will lead to more costs and delays from redesigning the project.”

Completing the necessary studies as soon as practical allows for projects to be built to protect the historic value of the area and will prevent frequent changes.

Whether a project is seeking a 408 permit or pursuing mitigation efforts to accommodate an endangered species, the story of the A-LP’s regulatory process highlights the importance of beginning communications with the necessary regulatory bodies and starting the process as soon IRRIGATION LEADER

as possible. These efforts will help to ensure that project plans can be developed with certainty and stakeholder expectations can be met in a timely manner.

Mr. Gold provided insight into the challenge the frequent adjustments posed for the project team. “The project kept changing. It went from being a task of building a multipurpose agricultural and municipal and industrial project under 1968 authority and law to the management of all of the social, political, environmental, and financial challenges to ensure the resulting reformulated project is completed successfully and in compliance with 21st century law and policy.”

Today, after nearly 50 years, the A-LP has been completed, but Mr. Gold acknowledges some stakeholder concerns with the reduced size of the resulting project. “A lot of people ask, ‘We were promised a much bigger and broader project, and that is all we are going to get?’ That is a difficult thing for those project water users to come to grips with, particularly when it takes 50 years to complete.”

From that initial 1968 authorization going forward, the attitude in the United States changed toward new environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act, and new priorities were established for federal investment in water. The AL-P was a project caught in the transition.

The development of water storage facilities, particularly those seeking federal financing, is a difficult and timeconsuming process. Keeping the foundational assumptions constant enough for long enough to complete the complex planning, environmental, financial, and construction processes is difficult. It takes continuous communication and coordination with a broad range of stakeholders and interested entities. IL

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DISTRICT PROFILE

Improving Flow Accountability at the Columbia Improvement District

CID General Manager Mark Maynard.

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balancing out system water during the peak of the irrigation season and preventing any breakdowns of the pump system.

According to Mr. Maynard, “Our pumps are getting old: We just recently had to replace our river pumps, and the pumps in the boosters are showing their age. It is hard to keep them up and running in July and August. In addition, it is difficult to run our pumps efficiently.�

The CID board identified old propeller meters as a source of those ongoing challenges. The meters needed to be upgraded to increase accuracy and dependability and to decrease maintenance costs. At the end of last year, at the behest of his board, Mr. Maynard issued a request for bids on the replacement of district flow meters with the goal of installation and operation prior to the start of the irrigation season in March. The district was looking to retrofit 25 meters on pipes ranging from 12 inches to 34 inches in diameter.

IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT AND MCCROMETER.

T

he Columbia Improvement District (CID) in Boardman, Oregon, is working to maximize the capabilities of its water infrastructure with the goals of improving system efficiency and reliability to better serve district members. CID General Manager Mark Maynard has led an initiative to automate and improve efficiency throughout the CID system. The installation of McCrometer FPI Mag meters has been a critical component of that effort.

Situated off the southern banks of the Columbia River, CID provides water to 18,000 acres of farmland via a 7-mile main canal, 6 pumps off the Columbia River, 30 booster stations, and a large network of pipelines throughout the area. On average, CID pumps 76,000 acre-feet of water from the Columbia every year. Farmers in district grow potatoes, onions, sweet corn, and peas.

Two of the biggest challenges for the district are

DISTRICT PROFILE CID selected McCrometer FPI Mag devices in December, a mere 21/2 months before they were to start running water through the system. Dick McDougal, McCrometer’s Pacific Northwest regional sales manager, explained that the FPI Mag meters are magnetic flow meters with coils and electrodes assembled in a tube that can be inserted into a pipe perpendicular to its flow stream.

One of the reasons CID selected the FPI Mag meters was the ease of installation. Mr. Maynard explained, “The only thing we had to upsize was our conduit, but that was very minimal. The other companies would have required us to dig up the pipe to install the meters, incurring tremendous installation costs.” The ease of meter installation and the ongoing communication between CID and McCrometer enabled the district to meet its March deadline.

According to Mr. Maynard, use of the new meters required “some training, but not a tremendous amount.

I have one employee that has been here for many years, and the other three have been here for less than 2 years, so they have always been learning. They have picked up on the use of the new meters well.”

The results of the implementation have been positive.

Mr. Maynard reports that the accuracy of flow readings has improved. “We are getting accurate readings, which we can read on a cell phone or tablet from anywhere.” In addition, because most of the flow in CID’s canal system is on its east end, improved accuracy of flow rates has enabled CID to adjust its gates to balance that out easily and efficiently.

Mr. Maynard reported, “Before, we were probably overflowing the canal once a week, wasting a fair amount of water. So far this year, we have not had any overflows in the system.” Accurate information is provided immediately to the mobile devices of CID staff, adding stability to the delivery system and accuracy to billing statements.

Improved readings have translated to improved on-farm efficiencies. Mr. Maynard said, “One of our farmers runs a small center pivot with a 940-gallon nozzle package off one of our smaller pump stations. I was amazed that the readings from the pumps nearly matched up with the flow package on the pivot. For years, the flow readings on the pump station were not close to the farmer’s readings. The station was always off. This year, the two readings are almost neck and neck.”

McCrometer’s Mr. McDougal explained, “Farmers are going to get a real, true flow reading. They will be paying for what they are really using.”

Overall, the change CID pursued has already been successful. The accuracy and ease of use of the FPI Mag meters has encouraged the district to explore additional automation options with the potential for creating more system certainty and opening up the possibility of district expansion. IL IRRIGATION LEADER

Columbia Improvement District

OREGON

The Columbia Improvement District retrofitted 25 meters in the district with McCrometer's FPI Mag meter. The new water flow measurement system helps improve readings and keeps maintenance costs low.

21

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WATER LAW

IS THERE A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN? The Permitting of Irrigation Operations and Management by FEMA

By Paul Arrington

I

24

ditch use by requiring permits within flood-prone areas (called flood development permits) as a condition of participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). According to FEMA, the NFIP, and its implementing regulations, impose a duty to permit certain ditch use activities as a precondition to doing work in an irrigation or drainage facility. FEMA has threatened that noncompliance will result in the state of Idaho being suspended from the NFIP. Frustratingly, FEMA maintains these unreasonable demands even though Idaho’s counties and cities have repeatedly stated they do not have the resources (either money or manpower) to regulate these activities.

This issue hinges on the definition of one word: development. Under the National Flood Insurance Act, (42 U.S.C.S. § 4001 et seq.), communities wishing to participate in the NFIP, and thereby provide access to subsidized flood insurance, must meet certain, minimum criteria. One requirement mandates that local communities IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTO BY BOB WICK, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT/FLICKR.

magine that water delivery entities are required to obtain permits from their local community or communities prior to diverting water into their canals. Imagine that water delivery entities and drainage districts are required to obtain permits from their local community or communities prior to removing debris impeding flows in their canals or ditches. What if the operation, maintenance, cleaning, and repair of irrigation and drainage facilities (ditch use) was subject to regulation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through local community flood control authorities?

Does it make sense to grant local communities the power to permit the activities water delivery and drainage entities must perform to maintain the safe passage of water in their facilities? Could rural communities even accomplish such a task with their shrinking populations or budgets? Would local communities even have the knowledge and understanding of the nature of the work required to maintain a ditch and, therefore, regulate ditch use? If a permit is required, does that also allow the local community to deny that permit? How can a water delivery or drainage entity operate and maintain its system if the local community denies a permit?

Unfortunately, FEMA is attempting to impose this permitting requirement in Idaho.

Since early 2017, a group of Idaho stakeholders, including the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Idaho cities, counties, and water users (collectively referred to as the Idaho Work Group), have been engaged in negotiations with FEMA Region X. Although the negotiations began by addressing concerns over the replacement of a culvert in a floodway, FEMA quickly redirected the conversation to assert control over ditch use.

FEMA demands that Idaho’s local communities regulate

WATER LAW

Snake River in Idaho.

issue permits for any “development” within special flood hazard areas designated by FEMA. Development is defined in NFIP regulations as “any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials.” (44 C.F.R. § 59.1) Many of these terms are not defined in the regulations, and FEMA has advanced a broad and exacting interpretation. FEMA asserts that regular ditch use constitutes a “change” that must be reviewed for potential permitting by local communities. As an example of activities that require permitting, FEMA has pointed to the operation of structures used to divert water into canals and the removal of debris (i.e., trees, sediment, and the like) impeding the flow of water through ditches and placing that debris on the banks of the canal.

Idaho water users first recognized this issue in 2010 when a disagreement arose regarding the level of permitting IRRIGATION LEADER

that may be required to install a cement check structure in a canal. Previously, the Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District had checked up its canal by pushing and piling gravel to divert water into laterals and ditches.

Following lengthy discussions with local communities, the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA Region X, a solution was reached.

Idaho’s Disaster Preparedness Act, which governs the adoption of floodplain zoning ordinances by local governments, was amended to provide that the term development does not include the operation, cleaning, maintenance, or repair of ditches and to clarify that no permit would be required to perform such activities.

This compromise acknowledged that some activities— such as the construction, reconstruction, or relocation of ditches—may rise to the level of permitting under the NFIP. The compromise further acknowledged that ditch operation, cleaning, maintenance, and repair should not be subject to regulation and permitting under the NFIP. Such activities constitute the long-standing, ordinary, and ongoing uses of ditches and ditch rights in Idaho that have been conducted since the late 1800s by many generations of water users to maintain the historic capacity of Idaho’s ditches to accomplish their water delivery and drainage purposes. Idaho water users have maintained that such activities do not change the ditches and, therefore, cannot be considered development as that term is used in the NFIP regulations.

Idaho’s water users are unaware of any scenario in which the regular operation, cleaning, maintenance, or repair of an irrigation or drainage ditch has increased the risk of, or caused, flood damage. Idaho law places clear and firm obligations on ditch operators to maintain their ditches to prevent flooding, overflow, and the waste of water. There is simply no need for additional oversight through the NFIP process.

The state of Idaho continues to talk with FEMA about this issue. Unfortunately, the water users, local communities, and other members of the Idaho Work Group are no longer part of that negotiation process. We continue to monitor the issue and are considering all options to ensure that Idaho’s water users can continue to properly operate their irrigation and drainage facilities. IL

Paul Arrington is the executive director and general counsel for th Idaho Water Users Association.

You can reach him at paul@iwua.org.

25

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THE INNOVATORS

Providing Sealing Solutions and Support at HUESKER

Q

uality products and exceptional customer service are equally important parts of building a successful company.

Both elements must exist to build long-term, lasting relationships with customers and cement a company’s reputation.

HUESKER is a company that fully understands this concept, and it has strived to put that concept into practice since the company's establishment in the 19th century.

Today, HUESKER provides its customers with high-quality water infrastructure products and customer service that is attentive, thorough, and customized to the customers’ needs.

HUESKER can help customers determine which product best suits them and show customers how to install or apply the product themselves. This commitment to service has helped establish HUESKER as one of the industry leaders for water infrastructure components.

Roy McClinton is HUESKER’s product manager for geocomposites in the United States. He sat down with Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, to discuss the company’s history; how its products help protect canals and other water systems; and how it goes above and beyond to serve its customers before, during, and after the sale.

HUESKER Product Manager Roy McClinton.

30

Roy McClinton: HUESKER is a family-owned company that was established in 1861 in Gescher, Germany, and has been in the United States for 27 years. The company began IRRIGATION LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUESKER.

Kris Polly: Can you give us some background on HUESKER and its current operations?

THE INNOVATORS

HUESKER's North American headquarters near Charlotte, North Carolina.

making geotextiles in 1958, and today is one of the world leaders in geotextiles, geogrids, and high-strength woven materials.

We have offices and manufacturing facilities around the world, including a manufacturing plant outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Canal3 product is made. Charlotte also hosts HUESKER’s North American headquarters. Over the last 2 years, we have expanded and modernized that facility so we can manufacture more geogrids, high-strength woven products, and coating lines there. The facility grew from 55,000 to 150,000 square feet, almost tripling its size. Every seventh person at HUESKER is an engineer, which is advantageous given the technical nature of our products. We offer technical support, in-house engineering, and any other support our customers may require.

either glued or wedge welded into place.

Wedge welding is primarily used in places where the subsurface below the Canal3 is smooth, and gluing is preferred on canals sitting atop rougher terrain. Gluing accounts for approximately 95 percent of our total projects, while the rest are wedge welded. Because the material is a composite with a nonwoven on top of and below a membrane, it has enhanced puncture protection as well as high interface friction that allows it to be placed on slopes.

Canal3 also provides a surface for concrete or Shotcrete to adhere to. Testing done by the Bureau of Reclamation showed that if concrete or Shotcrete is poured onto our materials, it will have a 40–60 year lifespan. Over that time, the concrete may degrade, but the Canal3 will remain intact.

Kris Polly: How would you describe the Canal3 products?

Roy McClinton: The process involves two pieces of material that are overlapped. We use a small, handheld machine that has a 2-inch steel wedge that engages the top and bottom materials, and then heats up the bottom nonwoven polymer layer of the top material and the top layer of the bottom piece. The two nonwoven layers become molten, and a set of rollers compresses the polymers together into one composite seam of material. We also have to provide an HDPE slip sheet underneath the seam area for the wedge welder wheels to travel on if there is soil beneath.

A 24-inch-wide HDPE piece is cut that will stretch from

Roy McClinton: Canal3 is a multilayer geosynthetic membrane composite designed for water containment applications. It acts as a liner to retain water inside canals or other waterways. Canal3 consists of top and bottom nonwoven layers with the membrane in between them.

The product is flexible yet strong, and it is very resilient to environmental factors. It can be installed covered or uncovered and can also be placed under concrete or Shotcrete, if desired. The liner is rolled out and can then be IRRIGATION LEADER

Kris Polly: What is wedge welding, and how does it work?

31

THE INNOVATORS one side of the canal to the other, a rope is tied to one end, and the sheet is placed underneath the seam that will be created by the wedge welder. After the seam is created, the sheet is pulled away by the rope. The whole process is then repeated for the other seams as necessary. It may sound like a complicated process, but it is state of the art in the industry.

Kris Polly: What can you tell us about the training you provide that allows noncontractors to install your products independently?

I contacted Demtech, who makes wedge welders, and they provided an onsite technician who traveled from Mexico City and provided assistance for 3 days. He trained the construction workers on how to properly wedge weld and seam our material. We provided the technical support on how to lay out and install the material, while Demtech brought in the experts to teach the workers how to wedge weld. If a customer chooses to glue the Canal3 components together, we can go out and train contractors on how to operate the equipment, as well as provide onsite support.

We remain at the project site as long as necessary, until the contractors are proficient and can handle the job on their own. We will also take technical service phone calls from irrigation districts or contractors out in the field who may have installation questions.

Roy McClinton: Our product managers conduct webinars throughout the year on all our products. We also offer in-house engineering to help engineers with design work, and we can provide our end-users with in-field technical support whenever it Kris Polly: How resistant are your materials is needed. Our engineering staff in Germany to varying weather and temperature can also provide assistance if necessary. conditions?

We pride ourselves on service and on-time delivery, and we stand behind our products Roy McClinton: We have projects in a every step of the way. Customers can be variety of areas, including Canada. The guaranteed that the product they receive biggest limitation in cold weather is the will be the one they ordered and that it will seaming, which is true of virtually all be in perfect condition. If it is not perfect, membrane-type products. We recommend we will replace it at no cost to the customer.

Many of our customers remain exclusively that customers not attempt to seam in loyal to us because of the service and support temperatures that are below 32 degrees we provide, which is one of the foundations Fahrenheit, and that customers bring in of our company. We also offer customized supplemental heat sources if they have products and can work with an engineer to to seam in cold conditions. The material tailor our products to the customer’s needs. itself is not adversely affected by extreme Thinking outside the box is another cold. Heat can cause some wrinkling if the hallmark of HUESKER and is something material is exposed, but not if it is covered. we pride ourselves on. Our research and —ROY MCCLINTON We recommend that customers in high development department does a lot of ultraviolet areas like Arizona or Texas cover testing and coordination with customers to the material with soil, concrete, or Shotcrete come up with the unique solutions they need. We consider to avoid UV degradation. it an important factor that we produce the product in the United States: The engineering and support staff is based Kris Polly: What is the most important thing that irrigation here, and we are available whenever needed to support the district managers considering upgrades on their canals owner, his consultant, and finally the installer—to provide should know about HUESKER products and services? the best final result possible.

"Many of our customers remain exclusively loyal to us because of the service and support we provide, which is one of the foundations of our company."

Kris Polly: Does HUESKER’s onsite training include going to the location to demonstrate how to roll out and glue or wedge weld the system components together?

Roy McClinton: Yes, it does. For example, we had a project in Mexicali that involved lining the April 4th Canal. The Mexican water agency CONAGUA designed the canal and had the option of either seam gluing the material or using wedge welders. They decided to use the wedge welders, but the onsite contractors had no experience with them.

32

Roy McClinton: One of the biggest advantages of Canal3 is that it eliminates seepage, which can help save irrigation districts a lot of money over time. By preventing water from seeping out of the canal, districts can deliver more water to their end users, and the money saved by conserving that water pays for the cost of the products. Canal3 represents a great opportunity for irrigation districts to increase their water efficiency, reduce their costs, improve the longevity of their infrastructure, and provide better service to their customers. IL IRRIGATION LEADER

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ADVERTISEMENT INDEX 2 Worthington (800) 899–2977 | tuffboom-ir.com 3 Hydro Component Systems (920) 261–2139 | hydrocomponentsystems.com 5 Irrigation Education Tour (202) 698–0690 | waterstrategies.com 10 Rubicon (877) 440–6080 | rubiconwater.com 11 Doc Hastings' Twenty Years of Turmoil dochastingsbook.com 14 Situational Awareness Institute (954) 292–5592 | situationalawarenessinstitute.com 15 Mavel mavel.cz 18 HUESKER (800) 942–9148 | HUESKER.us

IRRIGATION LEADER

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