Colorado Water April 2006

• Year: 2006
• Title: Colorado Water
• Author: Water Center of Colorado State University
• Description: April 2006 Issue
• Publications - Doc Type: Newsletter

SCADA Employed in Middle Rio Grande Valley
to Help Deliver Water Efficiently
Ramchand Oad, Colorado State University
and
Kristoph Kinzli, Colorado State University
During the last few decades water has become
an ever more sought after commodity in the
and West. Water use has increased in urban and
industrial sectors, while environmental concerns
for fish and wildlife habitats call for steady or
increased water supplies. Since irrigated agricul-
ture uses large quantities of water — about 85%
of available water supplies in the western United
States — it is increasingly being asked to become
a more efficient water user. In order to do so, ir-
rigated agriculture has turned to improvement and
modernization. Many irrigation systems in the
United States were built during the 1920s and 30s
and have become inefficient due to canal degrada-
tion and deterioration of flow control and measure-
ment structures. Modernization has consisted of
dredging and lining irrigation canals to restore the
original capacity and prevent excessive seepage
losses, and installing of modern water regulation
and measurement structures. These modern flow
control structures can be automated and remotely
controlled through telemetry. In addition, com-
puter decision support systems (DSS) have been
developed and implemented to help better man-
age water supplies and demand. The Middle Rio
Grande Conservancy District in the Middle Rio
Grande Valley, described below, is one example
where irrigation system modernization is being
implemented currently.
Middle Rio Grande Valley
The Middle Rio Grande (MRG) Valley runs north
to south through central New Mexico from Cochiti
Reservoir to the headwaters of Elephant Butte
Reservoir, a distance of approximately 175 miles.
The valley is narrow, with the majority of water
use occurring within five miles on either side of
the river. The City of Albuquerque and several oth-
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Map of the Middle Rio Grande Valley
er communities are located in and adjacent to the
MRG Valley. Although the valley receives less
than 10 inches of rainfall annually, it supports a
rich and diverse ecosystem of irrigated farming,
riverside forests and fish and wildlife habitats.
Water supply available for use in the MRG
Valley includes native flow of the Rio Grande
and its tributaries, allocated according to the
Rio Grande Compact of 1938; San Juan -Chama
(SJC) project water, obtained via a trans -moun-
tain diversion from the Colorado River system;
and groundwater. Water is fully appropriated in
the MRG Valley and its utilization is limited by