Knowledge Stream Research and Development Office
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Knowledge Stream Research and Development Office Canal Health U.S. Department of the Interior June 2020 Research and Development Office (R&D) Contacts Message from R&D Program Manager Welcome to this issue of the Knowledge Stream magazine! R&D Levi Brekke is excited to share research progress on canal health. This issue [email protected] highlights better ways to identify and quantify canal seepage to prioritize canal improvements, enhance sustainability, and support Science and Technology water delivery reliability. Program Administrator John Whitler Canal sustainability is a priority issue for Reclamation and the [email protected] western U.S. water management community. Reclamation and partners have constructed over 8,000 miles of canal to service Desalination and Water water deliveries. As canals age, water managers seek efficient and Purification Research affordable ways to inspect frequently, identify seepage areas, and Program Administrator & analyze areas of interest to inform response. Advanced Water Treatment Coordinator Yuliana Porras-Mendoza In this issue, R&D discusses engagement with Reclamation’s [email protected] infrastructure community to identify priority science and technology needs, all to inform a responsive research strategy. In Hydropower and Renewable Energy addition, several promising developments are covered, including: Research Coordinator Erin Foraker • A canal seepage assessment framework that can help our [email protected] infrastructure managers more cost-effectively detect, quantify and analyze water seepage situations. Water Availability Research Coordinator • Leveraging satellite remote sensing to permit rapid and frequent Ken Nowak [email protected] reconnaissance. Technology Transfer Specialist • Using ground surface heat as a tracer to quantify water loss Samantha Zhang from concentrated seepage. [email protected] As always, please enjoy this issue of the Knowledge Stream and offer Prize Competitions Program any feedback for continual improvement of dissemination strategies Administrator for transferring solutions to users. Jennifer Beardsley [email protected] Levi Brekke Program Manager Open Water Data Coordinator Allison Odell [email protected] About the Knowledge Stream Programs Information Specialist The Knowledge Stream, published by the Bureau of Reclamation’s Research and Development Office, is a quarterly magazine bringing mission-critical news about Ronda Dorsey the agency’s innovations in the following: [email protected] • Science and Technology Program Budget Analyst • Desalination and Water Research Purification Program Rosann Velnich • Prize Competitions [email protected] • Technology Transfer • Open Water Data...and more. Administrative Assistant Knowledge Stream Editor Pat Loetel Ronda Dorsey | [email protected] [email protected] Research and Development Office PO Box 25007 Denver, Colorado 80225-0007 https://www.usbr.gov/research/ks.html 2 Knowledge Stream June 2020 https://www.usbr.gov/research/ks Contents Canal Seepage Community Needs 6 Framework 4 Canal Infrastructure Reliability and Sustainability Key Perspectives 6 Improving Water Resource Management and Safety with Canal Seepage Framework Current Research Synthetic Aperture 8 Rapid Geophysical Profiling for Canal Embankment 12 Radar and Levee Health Assessment and Seepage Detection 12 Seepage Detection in Canals Using Synthetic- Aperture Radar (SAR) Data 15 Using Heat as a Tracer to Estimate Seepage Losses and Improve Water Operations Covers: FRONT: The Truckee River System, managed by Reclamation’s California- Great Basin Region, originates at Lake Tahoe, where inflows provide the initial water supply for the system. When water levels at Lake Tahoe are above the natural rim (6,223 feet above sea level), outlet gates in Tahoe City, California regulate outflows to the Truckee River. BACK: Grand Canal in Maricopa County, Arizona is part of the Salt River Project in the Lower Colorado Basin Region. It includes a service area of about 240,000 acres spanning portions of Maricopa, Gila, and Pinal Counties in central Arizona. The land within the project is furnished a full irrigation water supply from the Salt and Verde Rivers and from 250 groundwater wells. About 26,500 acres are furnished supplemental irrigation water. 3 Knowledge Stream June 2020 https://www.usbr.gov/research/ks Community Needs Canal Infrastructure Reliability and Sustainability Reclamation has been delivering water Improved Climate, Weather, and Hydrologic Information for over 100 years and has constructed highlighted interagency impacts related to characterizing water availability from hours to seasons. In addition, approximately 8,000 miles of canal, with Research Priorities for Mechanical Components of Hydropower 25,000 miles of distribution laterals in Units identified opportunities for the enhancing the Western United States. The agency’s hydropower generation infrastructure. Ecohydraulics water irrigates 10 million acres of mapping is ongoing. farmland, serves one in five western Central to Reclamation’s mission in canal water farmers, and 31 million people use 10 infrastructure are these three research questions: trillion gallons of Reclamation water for municipal, residential, and industrial 1. What are the common reasons for reduced uses. Most Reclamation canals were built service life, extraordinary maintenance, or failure of canal infrastructure components? in remote, rural areas. Over the years, increasing populations and expanding 2. What mitigation practices are currently used communities near these canals have by Reclamation to address these failures or extend the working life of the infrastructure resulted in approximately 1,000 miles of components? Reclamation canals in urbanized areas. 3. What additional tools, measures, and technology, Achieving safe and reliable water delivery requires or improvements in existing technology, might collaboration across federal, state, and local allow us to extend the service life for all reserved governments, as well as private operators and the and constructed canal infrastructure components? public. Many of Reclamation’s conveyance features are operated and maintained in partnership with irrigation The purpose of Research Priorities to Enhance Canal and water districts. Reclamation’s Water Conveyance Infrastructure Sustainability is to fill gaps in Reclamation’s Program conducts Reclamation-wide asset management current toolbox to extend the useful life of critical activities. This includes maintaining a comprehensive infrastructure. Reclamation field and Denver Office asset inventory, providing policy guidance, planning personnel generated the data used in this roadmapping activities, and ongoing condition assessments to provide process. A team of subject matter experts completed the effective and transparent solutions and keep water roadmap and prioritized the identified research needs. flowing. The canal infrastructure research roadmap describes the research need by identifying adverse outcomes, causes, Addressing the needs of aging infrastructure is critical current mitigation practices, and outstanding needs for to system reliability. Research roadmapping enables tools, technology, etc. Reclamation to determine where future research efforts should be focused in order to provide the greatest The highest priority need statements relate to: benefit. The agency’s Research and Development Office canal seepage technologies; canal linings, repair and enacted several research roadmapping endeavors in underwater placement; prevention and control of order to strategically identify the organization’s evolving animal burrows and vegetation, and lightweight pipe scientific and engineering research needs. For example, performance issues. Short-Term Water Management Decisions: User Needs for Contact Bobbi Jo Merten More Information Civil Engineer, Materials and Corrosion Laboratory https://www.usbr.gov/research/st/roadmaps/Canals.pdf [email protected] 4 Knowledge Stream June 2020 https://www.usbr.gov/research/ks Research roadmapping enables Reclamation to determine where future research efforts should be focused in order to provide the greatest benefit. Bobbi Jo Merten, Reclamation Civil Engineer The All-American Canal System, located in the southeastern corner of California, consists of the Imperial Diversion Dam and Desilting Works, the 80-mile All-American Canal, the 123-mile Coachella Canal, and appurtenant structures. The system has the capacity, through water diversions from the Colorado River at Imperial Dam, to irrigate about 530,000 acres of fertile land in the Imperial Valley and about 78,530 acres in the Coachella Valley. (Reclamation/Andrew Pernick) Key Perspectives A Canal Seepage Assessment Framework for Improving Water Resource Management and Safety Canal seepage losses affect the ability of water conveyance structures to maximize efficiency and can be a precursor to canal failure. Identification and quantification of canal seepage out of unlined canals is a complex interaction affected by: geology, canal stage, operations, embankment geometry, siltation, animal burrows, structures, and other physical characteristics. Seepage out of unlined canals can be coarsely estimated using a mass balance-type approach (water in minus water out with the difference assumed to be a combination of seepage and evapotranspiration). More sophisticated methods are used in some instances but are typically limited efforts aimed at quantifying seepage in a specific location. What is Canal Seepage? Seepage is generally