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Upcoming Calendar of Events | |
October 13th Monthly Board Mtg
November 10th Monthly Board Mtg
December 15th Monthly Board Mtg
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Did You know...
GMD3 District Area covers 8,425 square miles.
The Districts Irrigated Acres is 1/2 of Kansas irrigated acres.
There are approximately 10,600 non-domestic wells.
The District's annual water use is
2,133,000 acre feet.
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Greetings!
GMD3 has had a busy summer and looking forward to the fall season. We are sorry it's been awhile since a newsletter has been published. Please enjoy this publication and feel free to notify us of any articles that you would like to read about.
Sincerely,
GMD3 Staff |
The Real Cost to Pump That Last Bit of Water | |
As the end of the irrigation season rapidly approaches, operators are faced with the dilemma of whether to run some more water or shut it down for the season. You first need to make sure you know what your authorized quantity is and how much you have pumped already. If you have been following our articles and using the tools we provide on our web site, you will already know how much you have pumped this season. If you are close or already at your limit, it is important that you know what the consequences can be if you exceed your authorized quantity.
The State, with the backing of the GMD3 board, has increased the enforcement of water users that overpump their water rights. The first time you overpump, DWR will send out a notice of noncompliance, stating that your authorized quantity was exceeded. This notice is permanently in the action trail for the water right. If the overpumping happens for a second time, you can be fined $500 and your water right will be reduced the following season the same amount you overpumped. For example, say you exceeded your authorized quantity by 25 acre feet this year. This would lead to your water right being reduced by 25 acre feet going into next year. The third violation will result in a fine of $500 a day for each day you overpumped and a reduction of twice the amount you overpumped the next season. Using the same example as previously mentioned, your water right would be reduced 50 acre feet next year. Any continued violation for exceeding your authorized quantity could result in a temporary or permanent suspension of your water right.
With the chance of suspension of a portion or your entire water right, it is critical that you are aware of the consequences of exceeding your authorized quantity. It also means that you have to make sure you regularly monitor and maintain your installed flowmeter. For additional help or information, visit our web site or call our office anytime you have questions or concerns. |
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Going With the Flow | |
A couple of things district staff works with every summer are flowmeters that are not registering what the operator thinks they are flowing and that pesky little security seal that is may be missing.
Flowmeters are mechanical devices and are prone to the same maladies as any other mechanical device. Some are working perfectly, some appear to be working and some are working but don't appear to be right. You have a nozzle package that is a certain gpm at a certain psi and as long as you maintain that psi you are relatively sure of how much water you are using. The question is what your flowmeter is registering. This is easily checked by timing the totalizer and doing a little math to convert the flowmeter reading into gallons per minute.
Begin by recording the starting register reading and the starting time. After at least five minutes record the ending register reading and the ending time. Subtract the starting reading from the ending reading to get the difference. Convert the register difference to gallons and the time difference to a decimal number. Next divide the gallons by the minutes and you have gallons per minute.
Example - 123456 is the register reading at the start and a watch reads 9:13:00. At 9:18:20 the register reads 123466.
Using the method above:
9:18:20 - 9:13:00 = 5 minutes 20 seconds or 5.33 minutes
(divide seconds by 60 to get a decimal number)
123466 - 123456 = 10 = 10,000 gallons if meter measures in 1000 gallons.
10000 gallons / 5.33 minutes = 1876.2 gpm
123466 - 123456 = 10 = .010 acre feet if meter measures in acre feet.
.010 A.F. x 325851 gallons/A.F. = 3258.5 gallons / 5.33 minutes = 611 gpm
This limited space does not allow a complete explanation or demonstration of timing a flowmeter. However you are welcome and encouraged to call us or visit our website and access "Timing a flowmeter in the field" which can be found under Meter Assistance. GMD3 staff could also demonstrate on-site.
Seals....
Next Month:
At GMD3 we are committed to assisting water users with beneficial use and conservation of this most vital resource. If you have any questions, topics you would like to see covered or would like to discuss flowmeters or other water issues, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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