Application of Software for Automatic Canal Management (SacMan) to the WM Lateral Canal

Abstract

Simulation studies have demonstrated that automatic control of canals is more effective when feedforward scheduling, or routing of know demand changes, is combined with centralized, automatic, distant, downstream water level control. In practice, few canals use this approach. To help further develop and test this strategy, the writers developed SacMan, or Software for Automatic Canal Management. The software was tested on the WM lateral of the Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District, Stanfield, Arizona. Initial testing was done during 2002 and 2003. In 2004, SacMan was used to operate the canal nearly continuously for a period of 30 days. Tests were conducted during normal operations, during which more than 50 delivery changes to users were scheduled and implemented with SacMan. In addition, SacMan responded to unscheduled changes such as emergency shut off and power outages that reduced well flow that had been pumping into the canal. Additional “manufactured” tests were conducted to compare different control methods. This paper describes the overall SacMan control scheme and presents a summary of the tests conducted and typical results. Companion papers examine the results of these tests in more detail.