Leveraging SCADA to modernize operations in the Klamath irrigation project

The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) operates the Klamath Irrigation Project in Oregon to divert, store and supply irrigation water to over 200,000 acres of farmland below Upper Klamath Lake. Reclamation has partnered with irrigation districts to undertake an active modernization program including the implementation of a Real-Time Water Management SCADA System for remote monitoring of the main diversions on the Project boundaries and at key control points within individual irrigation districts. Data are recorded at frequent intervals, transmitted to base station computers in headquarters offices where it is displayed, manipulated, and stored. This paper presents an interim assessment of the complex issues concerned with SCADA project implementation in a basin-wide environment with multiple irrigation districts, describing the engineering points of particular innovative, and field-tested concepts. Performance specifications and design standards are discussed to illustrate the specialized details critical for successful integration.