Distribution, Control, and Measurement of Irrigation Water on the Farm

An irrigation system should be designed to provide correct distribution, control, and measurement of the irrigation water. Usually a farmer takes his irrigation water from a canal through a headgate. Or he may receive it from a pipeline regulated by a valve, or perhaps from his own well and pump. Open ditches are most commonly used to carry the water to the fields. Water control structures are used to get it out of the ditches and onto the fields. Measurement devices are needed so the farmer can tell how much water he has applied to his field at any irrigation or over the season. Several types of structures are used to divert, convey, control, or measure irrigation water. Some of these are described, and their functions discussed, in this publication.