RSA/replogle automated irrigation system allows monitored equitable Sharing of Surface Water
Dwindling California snowpacks portend another dry season with shrinking water supplies with drought conditions continuing through a fourth year. Irrigation water allocations are reduced or curtailed by the State and Federal Government. How will farmers grow their crops? How will other water users, such as environmental, urban and factories, satisfy their water needs? RSA has a SOLUTION: Share the water.
RSA, with Dr. John Replogle, has invented, patented, designed, produced, installed and calibrated in live farms a relatively inexpensive, reliable/accurate automated water metering system. The System measures water flow into agricultural fields to +/- 2% accuracy. Irrigation water usage or Farm Turnout Allowances (FTA) are provided each year to over one hundred thousand (100,000) farm fields in California. These farm turn-outs, constructed over one hundred years ago have no meters and rely on estimates of volumes of water to irrigate their fields. As a buffer, farmers typically order more water than they need. The RSA/Replogle Automated Farm Irrigation System brings precision to water requirements and metering allowing the “new-found extra” water to be shared with others.
Invention to equitably share surface water with agriculture -
how it works
the New RSA/Replogle Irrigation system can equitably share surface water with farmers and non-agricultural water users in california
automated irrigation with +/- 2% accuracy, minimizing waste
more documents for the new automated Irrigation system
RSA/replogle automated irrigation videos
Benefits to farmers
- Assured equitable delivery – gets delivered what was purchased;
- Improves surface irrigation application efficiency and uniformity;
- May allow the farm operator to trim their delivery with assurance that it will lower their water cost;
- Practices increases crop production;
- Reduces unwanted deep percolation of highly salty water from surface to ground water;
- Reduce soil and water pollution.
Benefits to Districts
- Stabilizes the delivery in the lateral;
- Assures billing equity. The Farmer pays for what is accurately measured and delivered;
- Generates the possibility of a conservation transfer with improvements in efficiency;
- Improves surface irrigation application efficiency and uniformity to increase crop production;
- Might be no need to add downstream reservoirs on-line near end of canal;
- Automated systems do not require District employees to open/close gates.