CHRISTOPHER B.

DIONISIO uniform water delivery along the upper end of the

field. Many techniques have been developed to
BSCE 4-1 ensure a uniform water delivery to individual furrows
or corrugations, or to provide a uniform inflow along
CANAL SIDE WEIRS FOR WATER the top end of the border strip. Uniform water
DELIVERY TO IRRIGATION FURROWS delivery is now an important design objective for
graded irrigation layouts.
Introduction Conclusions
Head-discharge relationship for a side weir
In this time and age, research work at the is not unique and depends on the magnitude of the
graduate level, often tends to concern itself with a velocity in the main canal. This dependence is most
specific aspect of a complex multi-component significant with sharp entranced weirs. With curved
system. In order to avoid alienation of the researcher, entranced weirs the velocity influence is small
his research work must be carried out within the
enough to be neglected.
context of that system as a whole. He must therefore
acquire a broad overall picture of his research field
Because of the head-discharge relationship
and the position where he is trying to make his
contribution. of the weirs, construction elevation uniformity of
Irrigation techniques of today must be individual weirs is very important. A 3 mm
capable of uniformly applying the necessary amount difference in bed elevation of two, side by side weirs,
of water with an acceptable efficiency. They must can typically result in a 10% difference in their
also be easy to operate, flexible towards system discharge.
variables, appropriate to locality and cost-effective.
In order to satisfy these requirements, a number of Reactions
new irrigation techniques under the categories of
sprinkler, trickle and sub-surface have recently been Here in the Philippines, agriculture is one of
developed, whilst the old surface irrigation
the major sectors that needed to be improved. And in
techniques have been modified. Comprehensive
descriptions of such techniques may be found in most farming we need to consider the irrigation of the
texts on irrigation and in particular in that by Jensen plants/ crops. And in this thesis it study the weirs at
(1981). We turn our attention to developments in the canal side for the delivery of water to irrigation
surface irrigation. Surface irrigation through the furrows, the discharge of the water to irrigation
many centuries of its practice, has resulted in the furrows is important because too much water can
evolution of numerous local methods. The scientific damages the crops/plants and too low on water
approach of recent years has selected and developed
supply can dry the plants/crops.
those which are thought to be most effective.
Scientifically based design criteria have been
http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/bitstream/1
developed for the selected methods. Level basin (Erie
and Dedrick, 1979), border strips (Withers and 0150/191845/1/azu_td_hy_e9791_1985_139_sip1_w.
Vipound, 1980) and furrows and corrugations (Marr, pdf
1967) are the results of the application of the design
criteria to the old techniques. These techniques are
known as controlled flooding.
An essential factor in the success of surface
irrigation is the technique used for water delivery
from the on-farm source to the application layout
(basins, borders etc.). The success of level basins for
example, depends on the fast spreading of the water
over the basin area such that a uniform depth of water
is applied over the whole basin. This means a large
inflow rate into the basin and requires special
structures to prevent erosion (Hart, Collins,
Woodward and Humphrys, 1980). In all other
methods, the uniformity in the advance of the water
front down the field, prepared for by the elaborate
land forming operations, depends on the capability of