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Title: WINFLUME - WINDOWS-BASED SOFTWARE FOR THE DESIGN OF LONG-THROATED MEASURINGFLUMES

Author
item WAHL, TONY - USBOR, DENVER, CO
item Clemmens, Albert
item Replogle, John

Submitted to: Decennial National Irrigation Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Competition for limited water supplies has escalated substantially over the last decade. Unfortunately there are many misconceptions about water use, particularly as related to irrigated agriculture. When the total demand for water exceeds the available supply, as is the situation in the Western United States, our ability to determine the fate of irrigation water becomes crucial. Measurements within these hydrologic systems are inherently inaccurate. This inaccuracy complicates the desire to manage water precisely for these large-scale systems. This paper discusses new software for the design of flow measuring flumes and weirs for canals, streams, and rivers. This new software aids the user with the design and calibration of these structures. These results will be useful to irrigation districts, consultants, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Technical Abstract: Long-throated flumes provide a practical, low-cost, flexible means of measuring open-channel flows in new and existing irrigation systems and have distinct advantages over other flume and weir devices. A primary advantage is that long-throated flumes can be custom-designed and calibrated using computer techniques based on well-established hydraulic theory. This computer capability allows the design of structures that mee unique operational and site requirements, and eliminates the need for laboratory calibration. To facilitate future use of long-throated flumes, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Agricultural Research Service have recently developed the WinFlume program for calibration and design of long-throated flumes and broad-crested weirs.