Shane M. Leonard: Pursuing Efficiency in an Urbanizing Irrigation District
The Roosevelt Water Conservation District (RWCD) has been serving local farmers, urban irrigators, and other central Arizona water users for more than a century. Located on the eastern edge of the Phoenix metro area in Maricopa County, its 40,000‑acre service area overlaps with the quickly growing cities of Mesa and Chandler and the town of […]
How the Yakama Nation Is Working to Restore Fish Populations in the Upper Yakima Basin
A century ago, upwards of a million salmon and other anadromous fish species returned each year to spawn and rear in the rivers and lakes of the upper Yakima basin. However, early storage efforts involving wooden crib dams, followed by the Bureau of Reclamation’s construction of concrete dams in the 1910s and 1930s, rendered many […]
From Wood to Fiberglass and Lined Concrete: The Naches-Selah Irrigation District’s Infrastructure Updates
The Naches-Selah Irrigation District (NSID) serves around 11,000 acres in the foothills of the eastern slope of the Cascades. Its history dates back to the late 19th century—and in some cases, so does its infrastructure. Up until a few years ago, the NSID had extensive stretches of wood-stave pipes and wood-trestle flumes in its system. […]
Irrigation in Portugal and in Europe as a Whole
José Nuncio plays an important role in irrigation both in Portugal and on the wider European level. Within Portugal, he is the president of the Sorraia Valley Irrigators and Water Users Association (Associação de Regantes e Beneficiários do Vale do Sorraia, ARBVS) as well as the president of the National Federation of Portuguese Irrigators (Federação […]
How the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation and Other River Basin Authorities Manage Spain’s Water Resources
The territory of Spain is divided among nine river basin authorities known as hydrographic confederations (HCs), which control and manage major water infrastructure, water-related public property, and hydrological planning within their respective areas. The HCs control and operate large state-owned reservoirs and canals that deliver water to local irrigation communities (districts) and other users. One […]
How the Spanish Government Funds Irrigation Modernization
The State Society for Agricultural Infrastructure (Sociedad Estatal de Infraestructuras Agrarias, SEIASA) is the agency that funds irrigation modernization projects across Spain. The agency is mandated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food to help finance various modernization projects in irrigation communities (which are similar to U.S. irrigation districts) across Spain that have been […]
Adolfo Nieto of the Orellana Canal Irrigation Community: Modernizing a Spanish Irrigation District
The Orellana Canal Irrigation Community (Comunidad de Regantes del Canal de Orellana, CRCO) is a sizable irrigation district in the arid central-western Spanish region of Extremadura. Over the past few years, it has used funds from Spain’s State Society for Agricultural Infrastructure (Sociedad Estatal de Infraestructuras Agrarias, SEIASA) to install new flow meters and automated […]
Dave Solem: Responding to a Pump Station Lightning Strike
On Saturday, May 30, a major pump station in South Columbia Basin Irrigation District (SCBID) was struck by lightning, disintegrating a bus conductor and knocking out the facility. Within hours, SCBID Manager Dave Solem was on the scene with engineers, electricians, manufacturers, and other relevant personnel. Luckily, the damage to the station was not as […]
Assistant Secretary Tim Petty on His Visit to the Milk River Project
Dr. Tim Petty, the assistant secretary for water and science at the U.S. Department of the Interior, is responsible for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and, consequently, for a wide variety of issues related to water infrastructure, water resources, energy, ecosystems, and natural disasters. Dr. Petty recently traveled to western […]
General Irrigation’s Redesigned Floating Pump
General Irrigation and Dewatering of Oakes, North Dakota, designs and installs a wide variety of deep-well, submersible, and towable pumps, including the versatile Dyna Flo pump. One of the newest additions to its lineup is a completely redesigned floating pontoon pump. General Irrigation can build models to accommodate any model of pump or application. In […]