The wing was con-
structed to fit on the '"'C"'
frame of a bulldozer and
accordingly can be raised
and lowered as desired
with the hydralic controls
of the tractor. The angle
the wing makes with the
tractor can be changed
with a telescopic adjust-
ment.

The drawing on the
following page shows the
essential parts of the
wing, mounting, and the
telescopic adjustment for
changing the angle of the
wing. The blade and ex-
tension arm will fit all
tractors. However the
bracket which connects
the ''C'' frame to the wing
must be modified to fit
the particular frame
used. Method of assem-
bly on the frame of a
Caterpillar D-4 tractor
and Allis-Chalmers HD-5
with Garwood frame are
indicated on the drawing.

It was found that the
"C" frames as furnished
with the dozers may not
be sufficiently sturdy to
handle the wing. Accord-
ingly, the frame is cut
open at the top anda 5/8-
inch thick fish plate is
welded to the rectangular gussets between on 8-inch centers.

Mr. Johnson states that the efficiency of the ditcher in cutting
and cleaning small laterals is excellent, but is reduced when used in
larger laterals. If you have any questions, it is suggested you contact
the Flathead Irrigation Project, St. Ignatius, Montana or Mr. Harold H.
Johnson, Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department
of Interior, 804 North 29th St., Billings, Montana.

* ROKK OK

17


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TRACTOR MOUNTED SPRAY UNIT

The tractor mo

and on the followin,
also was construct
Ignatius, Montana.

unted spray unit shown in the photographs below

g page, like the Wing Ditcher ina previous article,
ed in the shops of the Flathead Irrigation Project, St.

21

This compact unit
mounted on the small
crawler tractor makes
it possible to gain access
to areas where a truck
could not travel. More
detail of the spray unit
and manner in which it
is mounted can be seen
in the photograph at-left.

The spray pump kit
Was purchased and the
hook-up modified with
material on hand to fit
the requirements of the
installation on the trac-
tor. The two 55-gallon


The device, as will be gathered from the previous discussion, is for
use on power operated gates only. Those in use through 1956 have been
built in project shops. The components are few and inexpensive.

A 24-inch diameter corrugated metal pipe stilling well is at-
tached to the upstream face of the gate structure. Full and partial
canal depth wells both are used and both have been very satisfactory.
The wells shown in the cover photograph extend only four or five feet
below the water surface. Plates cover the bottom of the partial depth
wells.

Water is admitted to the well through a small hole to minimize
the effect of canal surface fluctuation caused by waves on the water level
inside the well. The float in the well is a standard recorder type and
preferably should be about 14 inches in diameter. Attached to the float
is a standard graduated stainless steel tape; the graduations on the tape
aid in making adjustments.

The tape, photograph
at left, passes over the
pulley mounted in the
cabinet installed on top
of the well. Thé other
end of the tape carries
a counterweight suffi-
ciently heavy to offset
the tripper and unbal-
anced tape, plus enough
weight to actuate the
micro switches. It has
been found that a two
to three pound counter-
weight is sufficient.
Clamped to the float
side of the tape is the
tripper, whichactuates
the micro switches.

The photograph also
shows the arrangement
of the electrical equip-
ment. In the center of
the cabinet are the mi-
cro switches and trip-
per. Left of center is
a three pole safety
switch and above this,
a time switch.

The micro switches are in pairs, the upper pair control the
circuit through the time switch and the gate opening relay circuit; the
lower pair control the circuit through the time switch and gate closing
relay circuit.


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which caused no operation difficulties.

The Region feels confident that the sterilization of the wetted
perimeter of laterals has cut down operation costs, reduced the amount
of water lost by transpiration and reduced silt deposits in the bottom of
laterals. Heavy silt deposits in untreated laterals greatly reduced their
capacity.

eR RRR

SPECIAL DRIVE SHAFT SUPPORT FOR DEEP WELL PUMPS

The Salt River Valley Water User's Association at Phoenix, Ari-
zona, have under test a different type of deep well pump drive shaft support
than that ordinarily used. From early
results reported, this support may offer
a good solution to the problem of main-
taining drive shafts in wells that are so
badly out of line that the conventional
spider and bearing arrangement does
not give satisfactory service.

The support being tested by the Salt
River Project consists of a thick cyl-
inder of oil impregnated redwood,
drilled to fit the diameter of the drive
----0il impregnated shaft and encased in a steel tube, see
redwood the illustration at the left. The shaft
is supported full length between the
pump bowls and discharge head by
the redwood tubeline. The manufac-
turer claims the tubeline will dampen
vibration, reduce shaft wear, reduce
mechanical power losses, and extend
the life of the pump.

L....-Steel tubing

The Salt River Project made one
tubeline installation in the summer
| of 1955 in their well at 7E 14 5/8N
which had the pump set at a depth of
290 feet where the alinement of the
well was off the vertical about 50
inches. In the spring of 1956, an-
it----- Line shoft other installation was made at 30E
| 3S, where the pump was set ata
depth of 240 feet and the misaline-
ment at that point was about 20 inches.

For additional information on the
performance of these installations ,
write Mr. H. Shipley, Chief Engineer,
Salt River Valley Water User's Assn.,
Phoenix, Arizona.

x OR OK OR OK
20


force material up the side slopes of the canal. The wing blades are
about 8 feet long and 3-1/2 feet wide. The hydraulic system of the
HD-5 tractor is used to control the ''V"' plow and wing blades.

The machine was designed for a canal with a bottom width of
6 feet and side slopes of 1-1/2:1. Existing canal sections up to 6 feet
were cleaned. No difficulty was encountered in moving the cleaned ma-
terial up the side slopes if the quantity was not too great. The tremen-
dous amount of mate-
rial being moved by
the ditcher is shown in
the photograph at left.

The contractor had
completed fabrication
of the machine before
delivering it to the job
site, but after initial
trials, had to make sev-
eral modifications to
the original design.

The principal change in-
volved the side blades
which were originally
in a fixed position. It
was discovered that it
would be necessary to
change the angle on
these blades to permit
greater flexibility in operation. They were modified to permit hydraulic
control of both slope and angle. All modifications were performed with
field equipment. The major changes were accomplished with a portable
welder.

In actual operation, the waterway is first cleared and the old
spoil banks are leveled, as shown in the photograph on the following ,
page. Structures to be removed are taken out to leave the waterway as
clear as possible. The small tractor upon which the machine is mounted
travels on the bottom of the newly formed section. It provides very little
motive power for cleaning operations, but does supply control to the plow
and wings by virtue of its weight and use of the hydraulic system. The
contractor used two large crawler tractors and a bridle towing arrange-
ment for tractive power. One tractor operated on each spoil bank of the
waterway. The tractors used were one Allis-Chalmers HD-15 and one
Caterpillar D-8. These tractors had dozers mounted and were able to
flatten spoil banks to provide their own roadway for operation.

Under ideal conditions the rate of progress in cleaning the laterals
was about 1-1/2 miles per hour, and the quantity of material moved was
about four to five hundred cubic yards. Progress is interrupted frequently
by structures encountered. Turnouts or headwalls in the canal bank can be

15




The design of the automatic gate control, on the Columbia Basin
Project, was prepared by A.C. Garing and D. H. Gaston. G. R. Burrows
assisted with the electrical circuits. All are employees of the project's
Irrigation Division.

Prints of the above drawings may be obtained by writing the
Project Manager, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, Ephrata, Washington.
The Project Manager also may be contacted for additional copies of the
instructions, reproduced below, for operation of the automatic gate
control at checks,

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
FOR
AUTOMATIC GATE CONTROL AT CANAL CHECKS

Columbia Basin Project

1. Description and purpose. The gate control was devised to
help the O&M personnel keep the water surface in the large canals to a
more constant level, thereby causing a more uniform flow into the later-
als and farm deliveries. It is operated by a float and counterweight con-
nected with a graduated steel tape over a pulley. A switch trip is
mounted on the tape which actuates a set of Micro Switches mounted in a
cabinet over a float well (see Drawing No. 222-116-24823). The two up-
per Micro Switches operate together to open the radial gate and lower
the water surface. One of the switches closes the circuit from the power
source to the repeating schedule clock or timing device. The other
closes the circuit between the clock and the main switch (located in the
check control cabinet) that opens the radial gate. The two lower Micro
Switches work in the same sequence but close the radial gate when the
water surface gets below the desired level. The timing device is set to
operate in an "on" and "off" cycle that controls the motor switch. Dur-
ing the "on" time the gate motor is in operation. The "off" part of the
cycle is the time between each movement of the gate and gives the water
level time to stabilize.

NOTE: Any suggestions for improvement of the device should be re-
ported to the Maintenance Engineering Branch, Irrigation
Division.

2. Placing the Automatic Gate Control in Operation

(a) Adjust switch trip on graduated steel tape so that float
will be at desired water level.

(b) Micro switches should be between and equidistant from
each tape guide, so that the switch trip can rest against the tape guide,
either upper or lower, and still keep in contact with the respective set
of Micro Switches.

(c) Adjust Micro Switches so that the upper andlower pairs
of switches are tripped simultaneously. As a result of experiments

5



Operation

The time switch controls the period the gate operating circuits
are closed, thus giving the water level above the gate time to reflect small
gate changes before the gate changes become large and result in excessive
“hunting'’ by the mechanism. On the Columbia Basin Project one minute
cycle time switches have been used; that is, the switches make contact
once a minute. The''on' time of the switch generally is set at about 2 per-
cent of the cycle; that is, the contacts remain closed for about 2 percent
of one minute. It may be necessary to vary this percentage to get optimum
results, depending upon gate size and speed as well as head of water on
the gate.

The three-pole fused single throw safety switch, mounted inside
the cabinet, is used as a means of disconnecting the automatic control and
also for protection.

As an added safety precaution, if desired, the existing limit
switch installed on the gate hoist may be reset to prevent the check gate
from opening beyond any certain point. No change should be made in the
lower travel limit switch.

The automatic control device ties into the existing gate installa-
tion without alteration of the mechanism or motor control circuits. Man-
ual control takes precedence over the automatic device and the gate may
be adjusted at any time by pressing the manual control button, regardless
of whether the gate is on automatic" or not.

To obtain operating information, a water stage recorder was in-
stalled temporarily at one automatically controlled gate. The recorder
showed the maximum variation either above or below the set water level
to be generally in the magnitude of 0.03 foot. If such close control is not
required, the pairs of micro switches may be set further apart; generally,
this will result in decreased operation of the gate mechanism over a given
period as compared to a closer setting.

In cases of multiple gate structures, installation of the auto-
matic control is made on just one gate. The non-automatic gates are ad-
justed manually from time to time to maintain a fairly well equalized
discharge through all gates.

Details of Construction & Operating Instructions

Several drawings of the automatic gate control device used on
the Columbia Basin Project will be found on the following pages, including

Gate Control Assembly . . . . . Drawing No. 222-116-24809
Installation Detail and List

of Parts . oes ss ss » Drawing No. 222-116-24810
Wiring Diagram ..... . . . Drawing No. 222-116-24812
Steel Boxfor Controls ... . . Drawing No. 222-116-24819
Instruction Chart (to accom-

pany operating instructions). . . Drawing No. 222-116-24823
Stilling Well Installation. . . . . Drawing No. 222-116-24829

4


by-passed by using the
hydraulic lift, but when
bridges or control struc-
tures are encountered,
the tractor on which the
cleaning machine is
mounted must leave the
waterway on approaching
the structure and enter

it again on the far side,
A large mound of mate-
rial is left in the bottom
of the waterway at each
structure, This has to be
removed later. The con-
tractor accomplishes this
with a small mobile ex-
cavator. In extremely
heavy cuts sufficient ma-
terial cannot be moved at
one pass to complete the
design section. A second cut has to be made by lifting the plow and blades,
backing up and making a second pass, The maximum effective depth of
cut has been between 1/2 and 1 foot. A second pass is usually required if
a greater cut is encountered.

The principal advantages of this cleaning machine are rapid prog-
ress, an accurately shaped final section, and excellent grade control. The
main disadvantages are the plugs left in the waterway where it was neces-
sary to by-pass structures, and the wide access road required on either
spoil bank for the large towing tractors,

Mounting the plow on a small crawler tractor makes a very ef-
fective unit for rehabilitation work. Numerous structures have to be by-
passed, and the crawler facilitates entering and leaving the waterway.

By comparing the photograph at the top of this page with the one
of the first page of this article, a fair idea of the effect of one pass may
be gained as these photographs show typical before and after sections,

3K OK OK OK ok

FLATHEAD WING DITCHER

Harold H. Johnson, of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, also sub-
mitted a description, photographs and a drawing of a small ditcher that
was constructed in the project shops of the Flathead Irrigation Project.
The device described and shown on the following pages was constructed
at a cost of about $800. Mr. Johnson states that it is about as gooda
ditcher as he has seen for the construction and cleaning of laterals con-
sidering the money spent.

16


Micro Switch between the source of power and the repeating schedule
clock is closed but the switch on the opposite side (between the clock

and motor) may not be closed. Both Micro Switches should be adjusted
to close as near the same time as possible. This will avoid excessive
running of the repeating schedule clocks and give better control. The
open and close gate motors are equipped with limit switches which
govern over the Automatic Gate Control device. If the gate is opened or
closed to the limit switch, the clock will be running if the Micro Switches
are closed.

Example A. If the radial gate is resting on the bottom of the
canal and there is not enough flow to cause the water level to rise, the
switch trip will stay down holding the Micro Switches closed. Conse-
quently the repeating schedule clock will be running in an effort to lower
the gate further and raise the water level. Under this same example,
the gate might be down resting on a piece of driftwood, therefore leav-
ing an opening under the gate. In this case the gate cables will be slack.

Example B. If the gate opens until the motor is cut out by the
limit switch, the water surface below the check may be higher than the
setting for the desired water level above the check.

6. Technical adjustments to be made only by Pump Mainte-
nance men, or personnel of Maintenance Engineering Branch.

(a) Timing devices:

(1) Make adjustments for percent ''on" time and
length of cycle.

(2) Check for moisture inside glass. (Determine
cause and clean if necessary.)

(3) Be sure that all outside openings are sealed.
(4) Repair or replace defective clocks.
(b) Micro Switches:
(1) Make adjustments (see Paragraph 2(b)).
(2) Replace defective switches.
(c) Pulley:

Check ball bearings in pulley and clean if neces-
sary. Do not oil.


drums mounted over the
tractor treads provide

an ample supply of spray-
ing material without hav-
ing to stop too frequently
for refilling.

The unit can be used
for the broadjet spraying
of a canal or lateral, a
borrow area or other
similar area, as shown
in the photograph at the
top of the preceeding
page, or it can be used
in hand spraying, as
shown in the photograph
at left. One-man opera-
tion of the tractor and
conveniently located controls of the spraying equipment simplifies the oper-
ation and reduces operational expense.

For more detail on the unit or the specific type of spraying equip-
ment used, contact the Flathead Irrigation Project, Irrigation Service,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, St.Ignatius, Montana, or Mr. Harold H. Johnson,
Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 804 North 29th Street, Billings,
Montana.

KOK ROK

22

GPO 846246


Department of the Interior

Bureau of Reclamation

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
RELEASE NO. 20

April, May and June 1957

CONTENTS
Automatic Gate Control at Checks
Cleaning Laterals and Small Canals
Flathead Wing Ditcher
Weed Control with Soil Sterilant
Special Drive Shaft Support for Deep Well Pumps

Tractor Mounted Spray Unit


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conducted at the W-20 Check, it is recommended the Micro Switches

be set for .05 foot variation in the movement of the switch trip from
the "off click" of the upper set of switches to the "on click" of the lower
set of switches. It is also recommended that the timing device be ad-
justed to 2% ''on' time out of every one minute cycle.

(d) Throw circuit breaker located inside check structure
electrical control cabinet, to "on" position and try gate operation with
push button control.

NOTE: Push button control has precedence over the automatic control
even though the automatic control is in operation.

(e) Throw safety switch, mounted in the Automatic Gate
control cabinet, to "on" position.

(f) Raise and lower switch trip to determine that the timing
device is working. Allow the clock to run long enough to determine that
the gate will open and close. If gate does not raise or lower see if gate
is in position of one of the examples given under Paragraph 5.

(g) Do not leave the Automatic Gate control "on" unless
you are satisfied it is operating satisfactorily.

3. Closing down operation of Automatic Gate control

(a) Throw the safety switch to "off".

-  (b) Raise the float out of the water and leave suspended on
the switch trip.

(c) Place silica gel in cabinet near Micro Switches and
inside clock cases.

4. Procedure for changing water level in the canal. When it
is desired to change the water level in the canal, note the tape reading
at which the switch trip is in equilibrium between the Micro Switches
(read tape at top or bottom of switch trip). Add or subtract desired
change to the tape reading and reset switch trip to this new reading. Be
sure that the switch trip is in contact with the set of Micro Switches that
produce the desired results.

There is an adjustable hook connecting the tape to the float.
This should be adjusted so that the counterweight is always above the
float. The reason being, that if the counterweight gets down too far it
will rest on top of the float, thereby causing an adverse condition. Be
sure that the float and counterweight is secured to the tape so that they
will not accidentally come off.

5. Possible occurrences. If the repeating schedule clock
(timing device) is running and the gate motor does not operate the

6


WEED CONTROL WITH SOIL STERILANT

In an annual report of the Regional Weed Control Program for
1956, the Irrigation Division of Region 7, Bureau of Reclamation, points
to the success achieved
in using soil sterilant to
control weeds in laterals
on the Bostwick Division
of the Missouri River
Basin Project.

The two photographs
at left are of adjacent
laterals. The upper pho-
tograph shows a section
of a lateral not treated
with the soil sterilant,
while the lower photo-
graph shows the condi-
tion of the adjacent lat-
eral on June 14, 1956,
that had been treated
with soil sterilant during
the period April 30 to
May 15.

About 30 miles of lat-
erals were treated with
Televar W soil sterilant
this past year. An area
about eight feet wide in
the wetted perimeter of
laterals was treated with
the sterilant. It was
mixed in a suspension
with water and applied at
the rate of 12 pounds per
acre with a specially de-
signed hand boom. The
boom was operated by a
man walking in the bottom
of the lateral. The chem-
ical was applied, as stated
previously, between April
30 and May 15, after all
dry weeds had been burned
out of the laterals and they
had been cleaned with a ditcher, where necessary.

Excellent results were obtained. No broadleaf weeds or weedy
grasses were observed before July 15. After July 15, a few weedy grasses
were observed, however, they were sparse and obtained only limited growth

19


Columbia Basin Controls

With modifications suggested by the Central Valley Project and
others by their own technicians, the Columbia Basin Project has now in-
stalled 20 automatic gate control devices. Because of the many benefits
derived from the automatic controls installed to date, the project is con-
sidering the conversion of certain hand operated gates to power operations
so that it will be possible to install the automatic controls on these.

The Columbia: Basin staff emphasize that the automatic gate con-
trol was devised as an aid to operating personnel in maintaining canal water
levels at nearly constant elevations and to reduce the magnitude of water
fluctuations; the primary objective being to obtain a more uniform flow into
laterals, and accordingly, more uniform farm deliveries. Actually, the
project finds more benefits from the automatic device and summarizes
them as:

1. Nearly constant canal water levels are maintained, resulting
in much more satisfactory farm deliveries.

2. The time required of operating personnel in adjusting gates is
greatly reduced.

3. Planned changes in flow in the canal system are reflected
much more rapidly than manual regulation would give.

4. Unintended changes in flow caused by storm runoff or other
causes are handled automatically with a minimum of water
fluctuations.

5. A reduction in the amount of water spilled at canal and lateral
wasteways has resulted in material water and power savings.
This has been particularly helpful on certain gravity channels
supplying water to relift pumping plants.

6. Greater precision in maintaining specified rates of raising or
lowering water levels during periods when filling or emptying
canals.

7. It has been possible to operate most of the canal system at a
lower level, thereby effecting a reduction in seepage losses from
the canals.

Construction

The photograph on the cover of this issue of the Bulletin shows an
installation of the automatic gate control on the High Hill check structure, of
the West Canal of the Columbia Basin Project. The control is mounted on
the left 24-inch diameter corrugated metal pipe well. The right well is a
temporary installation on which a water stage recorder was’ mounted for
checking the degree of water level control afforded by the automatic device.


1
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FRONT _ VIEW epanata, wash 5) R—54 [222-1 /6- 24823



CLEANING LATERALS AND SMALL CANALS

Rehabilitation of the Middle Rio Grande Project in New Mexico
is currently under way and one contractor, the Richey Construction Com-
pany has devised the machine below to clean the laterals and small canals,

A ''v"' plow, moldboards and wing blades are mounted on an HD-5
crawler tractor and propelled by the additional power of a D-8 and an
HD~-15 tractor operating from the canal banks. A view of the machine from

14

the front end of the HD-5 trac-
tor is shown in the photograph
at left.

The machine has been used
to clean 11 miles of waterways
in rehabilitation of one unit of
the project. Machines of sim-
ilar design can be purchased
commercially, but the one built
by the Richey Construction Com-
pany was produced with a min-
imum of shop and field work,
The basic idea of the '"'V"' plow
with moldboards 4-1/2 feet high
mounted on a small tractor with
a wing blade on either side, is to


AUTOMATIC GATE CONTROL AT CHECKS

Operating people have a serious problem in trying to keep their
water deliveries constant, especially since the use of siphon tubes has
become very common among modern farmers. It is not unusual for a
farmer to use a hundred or more siphon tubes in one setting of his irri-
gation water with the expectation of having the water run more or less
unattended for several hours. However, witha fluctuating water supply,
some or all of the siphon tubes may lose their prime and the tubes will
then have to be set again. Such a Situation is likely to make the farmer
quite belligerent toward the man responsible for delivering water to him.
It is this fluctuation of delivery that O&M people hope to eliminate by the
use of automatic gate controls. It is not their intention that the automatic
controls will eliminate the necessity for patrolling the canal.

There are different types of automatic and semi-automatic gate
controls available. The January 1953 issue of the Reclamation Era con-
tained an article describing a very successful automatic gate control in-
stalled at the White River Check on the Friant-Kern Canal of the Bureau's
Central Valley Project in California. Since that time additional installa-
tions of similar devices have been made on this and on other Bureau proj-
ects. Use of an automatic gate control device on the Columbia Basin
Project in Washington is described in an interesting article prepared by
the staff of the Columbia Basin Project for this issue of the O&M Bulletin.

"Little Man" of Central Valley Project

A device dubbed the "Little Man" on the Central Valley Project
keeps the level of the water in the canal above a check at a constant pre-
determined elevation. Control of the level of the water above a check by
the "Little Man" is accomplished by varying the check gate opening so
that the head of water over a turnout gate remains constant. The amount
of water delivered through a turnout therefore does not vary.

The "Little Man" was developed by H. E. Van Every, Roy W.
Heath, and Glenn C. Beach, Maintenance Division Chief, Electrical Tech-
nician, and Electrical Maintenanceman, respectively, of the irrigation
operations staff of the Central Valley Project. Mr. VanEvery contributed
ideas after a search of existing information, Mr. Heath contributed the
electrical circuits and Mr. Beach the physical assembly. The efficiency
of the "Little Man" in maintaining constant rate of delivery, despite vary-
ing flow through the Friant-Kern Canal has led to the use of the device
with some modification and improvement at other locations on the Cen-
tral Valley Project. In attesting to the efficiency of the "Little Man",
Manual Aaron, Operation and Maintenance Superintendent of the Delano
Section of the Friant-Kern Canal, a principal supply canal of the Cen-
tral Valley Project, says the "Little Man" is the best hand he has and
one that always does as it is told.



OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES

Release No. 20

April, May and June - 1957

INTRODUCTION

This bulletin, published quarterly, is circulated for
the benefit of irrigation project operation and maintenance
people. Its principal purpose is to serve as a medium of ex-
changing operation and maintenance information. Reference
to a trade name does not constitute the endorsement of a par-
ticular product, and omission of any commercially available
item does not imply discrimination against any manufacturer.
It is hoped that the labor-saving devices or less costly equip-
ment developed by the resourceful water users will be a step
toward commercial development of equipment for use on irri-
gation projects in continued effort to reduce costs and increase
operating efficiency.

* OK OK OK OK

Division of Irrigation Operations

Commissioner's Office
Denver, Colorado



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