Performance of Non-Contact Flow Meters in Irrigation Canals and Surface Drains

Flow measurement is an essential component of modern irrigation delivery systems. As irrigation districts undergo modernization efforts, it can become necessary to install flow measurement devices in non-traditional applications. Some applications feature a combination of characteristics that make traditional flow measurement structures unsuitable. Furthermore, as new regulations obligate many districts to report real-time diversions, installing redundant flow measurement devices that use different methods or technologies has become necessary to reduce the potential for temporary gaps in diversion data. In these cases, non-contact type flow measurement devices may be of interest. Two non-contact flow meters were installed at different irrigation district canals. Data were collected from the non-contact meters as well as pre-existing flow measurement devices operating in parallel. In addition, intermittent current metering was conducted at each site and used as the standard for calibration purposes. This paper presents an analysis of the flow measurement data collected and a discussion of the non-contact meter performance in open channel irrigation system applications.