IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MAINTENANCE
by Hollis Sanford1/

We in Denver have been reviewing the reports on your programs with in-
terest and satisfaction because we find that the quality of maintenance of
irrigation works in this area is unexcelled by that of any other irrigated
area in the West. You can be justly proud because this means without
doubt that it is unexcelled by any other area in the world. Eric Hoffer,
the shirt-sleeved philosopher from the San Francisco waterfront, made
this statement, "If the President had picked me to predict which country
(in post-war Europe) would recover first, I would say 'Bring me the
records of maintenance, The nation with the best maintenance will re-
cover first, Maintenance is something very, very specially Western.

If I were to go into a warehouse let's say, and see that the broom has a
special nail, I would say 'This is the nail of immortality.'! "'

Not long ago, a group of irrigation managers in the Northwest attempted
to define the phrase "good maintenance." They concluded that good main-
tenance achieves the following major objectives:

1. Timely and Reliable Service to all Water Users

In discussing this point, they emphasized the importance of
uniform service. One of them pointed out that every mile of
lateral or pipeline, every structure, and every pumping plant
is an additional hazard to the man at the end of the lateral,

The aim of a good manager, they concluded, is to reduce these
hazards and to assure that last man timely and reliable service.

2. Low Operation and Maintenance Costs on a Long-range Basis

The group recognized that this is a broad objective and they
broadened it even more by adding the phrase ''on a long-range
basis.'' In doing so they were saying that the deferment of
needed maintenance usually increases the cost. Next year the
work will probably cost more and, in the meantime, the threat
of unreliable service has increased. There seems to be no
basis for assuming that farmers will be more prosperous some-
time in the future, Consequently, it was agreed that there is

no justification for deferring needed maintenance,

T/Report from the First Regional Water Users Conference 1968, Region 2,
Bureau of Reclamation, by Mr. Hollis Sanford (retired), Formerly
Chief, Division of Irrigation Operations, Office of Chief Engineer,
Denver, Colorado.



FIBERGLAS GATE OPENING INDICATOR
(Suggestion R7-68S-40)

A very successful gate opening indicator for a radial gate on a water
control structure was suggested by Mr. Edward Hlavinka, of the Kansas
River Projects Office, McCook, Nebraska. This most economical and
long lasting indicator is made from white fiberglas, 1/16 inch thick

and 3 inches wide. A standard staff gage is seldom suitably gradu-
ated for use as an indicator on a radial gate, and custom gages

are costly and are not readily obtainable to fit gates of different size
and radius. Therefore, they must be fabricated by project personnel.

Metal indicators were first used and they lasted only three years.
Experiments then with plexiglass indicated that this material would

not be usable where direct sunlight is a factor, because of its expansion
and contraction. Accordingly, fiberglas was tested. The fiberglas
indicator shown in the photo below has been in use for three seasons
and is still in good condition.

The fiberglas is inexpen-

sive when purchased in sheets
and can be cut in 3 inch strips
with a regular bench saw. It
is then sanded on one side to
roughen it so the paint will ad-
here to its surface. After the
computed radial gate scale in
feet and tenths of feet are
drawn on the sanded side, the
numbers and marks are painted
on with a black epoxy paint.
This is a special paint for
fiberglas. Then the indi-
cator is fastened to the sup-
port frame on top of the gate
and to the face of the gate with
3/16-inch stainless steel or
brass bolts.

Where the bottom portion of
the gate opening indicator is
submersed in water, the fiber-
glas will not rust or corrode.
Crustations that form on the
portion of the indicator that

is submerged in water can
easily be cleaned off at the

end of each season,

P60-D-62112


could be about $6 an acre or 2 percent of the total farm operating cost.
When management defers an increase in O&M costs or defers necessary
maintenance to avoid increasing the farm costs a fraction of a percent,
they are doing a disservice to the farmer because eventually these costs
must be paid and sometimes at a higher rate and at an even more unfa-
vorable time.

Let us go back and discuss the things management can do to keep these
ever-increasing costs as low as possible. You will, of course, keep

in touch with industry and be alert to the possibilities of more efficient
equipment, chemicals, and other materials. You will find, however,
that almost two-thirds of your costs are inlabor. In labor you will find
the big possibilities for savings. Savings in labor must come from in-
creased efficiency which reduces the number of personnel,

In the discussions I mentioned earlier the group of managers concluded
that the "pride factor" is the most important element in labor manage-
ment, They mentioned the following four specific phases of project
management that have an important bearing on pride: appearance, the
assignment of responsibilities, long-range programing and training.
Much of the discussion revolved around appearance. They felt that the
headquarters should be neat, clean, and efficient looking and so should
the employees in the office. They felt that the appearance of head-
quarters reflects the efficiency of the district program in every phase.
An efficient looking headquarters can be pointed to with pride by both
the employees and the community itself. They felt that the equipment
used by the district should be painted in a uniform color scheme and
kept clean. The employees should be well equipped with safety devices
such as hardhats, safety shoes, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers.
There was a strong feeling that the attitude of the employees will be
improved by these actions on the part of management showing pride and
attention to details.

Major importance was attached to the assignment of specific responsi-
bilities to each employee. Each ditchrider should be made responsible
for all features on his beat that have not been specifically assigned to
other maintenance employees. They should also be made responsible
for the appearance and condition of the equipment and supplies they use.
It was the consensus of the group that maintenance records should be
kept for all important structures and features in the system, These
records should be kept by the employee who has been assigned responsi-
bility for that structure or feature. For example, a steel pipeline that
is protected on the inside by coal-tar enamel should be examined peri-
odically. The date of each examination, the name of the examiner, and
a few terse comments should be kept on a card file in the office. Such

a record would be used not only as a reminder of when such examina-
tions are due but would also be useful whenever there is a change in
employees or responsibility assignments. A more complete card sys-
tem of maintenance records should be kept for such features as pumping
plants. Irrigation Operation and Maintenance Bulletin No. 60 presents



3. Safe Conditions for the Workers on the System and the Public

All agreed that this is an important objective and that if it
is not pursued aggressively it can result in increased costs
and unsatisfactory service. A good safety program pays.

4, A Sense of Pride

Initially this ''pride factor'' was not included in the definition,
but as the discussions progressed, there was a growing feeling
that it is a most important objective. Every individual in an
organization must have pride in his work if he is to contribute

to the primary objectives of adequate and efficient service to

the water users. The group of managers concluded that pride is
reflected in the neat, orderly, well-managed appearance of every-
thing in the district program including the office, the equipment,
and the distribution system itself. They felt that an irrigation
district has a service to perform that is perhaps more important
to the welfare of the community than any other service function.
They felt that O&M without pride is like a mother without love
for her children,

You have a right to be proud. The cost of labor, equipment and supplies
has been going up every year. In fact, in the past 17 years the price
paid for labor, equipment, and supplies has more than doubled. In the
same period, your O&M charges to the water users have gone up only
half that amount. This means that you have utilized your labor, your
equipment, and your supplies more efficiently each year. Despite this
good showing, irrigation operation and maintenance costs have increased
an average of 3 percent each year for the past 17 years. We can assume
that the labor, equipment, and supply costs will continue to increase at
the rate of about 6 percent a year, The challenge you face is to keep the
actual O&M cost to the farmer from increasing faster than 2 or 3 percent
a year,

Recently an irrigation district in another region reported that it faced
serious problems. In the past 17 years its wages had increased 37 per-
cent. Apparently they were not aware that wages in general have in-
creased much more than 37 percent in 17 years. They have been oper-
ating in the red for a number of years and have used up $100, 000 they
once had in reserve, They are now faced with a major increase in an-
nual O&M charges and borrowing money to make major system improve-
ments to reduce their O&M burdens, The reluctance on the part of the
manager and the board of this district to raise charges in the past is
understandable. We all appreciate the seriousness of the cost-price
squeeze that farmers face today, but management does not make the farm-
ers' circumstances any rosier by curtailing O&M or failing to raise
charges when the cost of service actually goes up. A typical farm in

the Central Valley Project in California has an overall annual operating
cost of about $300 an acre. The district O&M costs for this typical farm


You managers of irrigation systems have been backward in telling the
public and the water users in the district about the importance of your
services. The functions you carry out are more important to the com-
munity than that of any other utility organization. You are more impor-
tant than the power company. Your work is more important than the
job done by the telephone company. The delivery of water to the farms
is essential to the economy of that community and to the nation as a
whole. Many of the directors on irrigation district boards and managers
have performed services requiring many hours of personal time. Your
employees have made similar sacrifices and have performed services
beyond the call of duty. Such dedicated employees should be rewarded
and the community should be informed of their loyalty. For example,
in its advertisements the telephone company talks about the lineman
working in a blizzard or the pretty operator with her feet in the flood-
water, Similar efforts are made by the electrical utility companies to
impress the public with the importance of their service by recognizing
the individual effort of their field employees. An irrigation district has
a better story to tell than any of these service organizations. It should
be told to the public on every opportunity. It should be told to the water
users themselves. It will help to develop a sense of pride, and it will
help to make the community appreciate the organization that performs
this essential community service.

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HIGHLY SENSITIVE TESTING DEVICE

An elephant's foot may be mighty sensitive, but not as sensitive as a
10, 000-pound research tool designed and built by the Bureau of Recla-
mation's Engineering and Research Center at Denver, Colorado.

This ponderous unit will enable engineers to detect movements as slight
as one ten-thousandth of an inch deep inside a rock wall when pressure
is applied.

The new device is a radial jacking test unit which may be employed at
the sites of proposed dams to determine if the surrounding rock struc-
ture can support the extreme pressure generated by the dam and the
water it impounds.

Department of the Interior
News Release, dated February 23, 1967

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United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation

IRRIGATION OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

BULLETIN NO. 66
October, November, December 1968

In This Issue:
Importance of Good Maintenance
Fiberglas Gate Opening Indicator
National Safety Council Data Sheets
Inexpensive Mooring Buoy
Flying Particles
Painting to Beat the Heat
Hour Meters on Sump Pumps
Anchoring Toe Rock for Rock Rip-Rap
What You Should Know About Studded Tires
Seat Belt Facts
Report - Buried Asphalt Membrane Canal Lining
A Simple Solution for Reducing Fluctuations of Automatic Overflow
Siphons
Forklift Attachment for Front End Loader
Heavy-duty Tow Bar and Fair Lead


INEXPENSIVE MOORING BUOY

(Reprinted by permission of GRIST, May/June 1968 issue, a publication
published by the National Conference on State Parks, Washington, D.C.)

Upon learning that a commercial buoy of sufficient size to which they
could moor their patrol boat would cost more than $200.00, Chief Ranger
Robert White and Park Ranger James Martin of Cabrillo & Channel Islands
National Monuments searched for a less expensive solution, When they

came up with it,the cost was just $16.00.

Coe

dant
pen {

he"

¥%a" Shackles:

4" Manila
pendant

Bob and Jim designed a collar
to fit around a 55 gallon drum
as shown in the sketch at left
and had it made and galvanized
in a local welding shop. Made
of 3/16" black iron, the collar
is strong, light, and simple.

It can be assembled by one man,
and is easily transported in a
small boat, The drum buoy can
easily be changed if it becomes
corroded or otherwise damaged,
It is desirable to make the buoy
unsinkable even if punctured, it
can be filled with self-expanding
polyurethane for about $25.00,

Note the two pendants leading
from the collar. Since the
patrol boat is moored in an
exposed ocean cove, the secu-
rity of a second, longer pend-
ant, is felt to be well worth the
small additional cost. In one
instance the second pendant
saved the boat when a stainless
steel pendant parted.

For their 25 ft. launch, Jim
and Bob use a 720 lb, railroad
car wheel, 3/4" and 1/2" chain
attached to the buoy, and 3/4"
nylon pendants,

Kk kk


There are several gate opening indicators of this design in use on

the Kansas River Project. The deterioration of the metal gages has
been a problem throughout the years. Fiberglas staffs are being in-
stalled as replacements for the metal staffs as needed.

The initial cost of a gate opening indicator staff is very nearly the same
for light weight flexible metal or fiberglas. Cost of replacement per
staff gage installed on a gate including re-zeroing of gage is $28.00 for
metal and $25.00 for fiberglas, including material and labor. The

saving of the fiberglas over a metal staff is mainly through the elimina-
tion of frequent replacement by the longer life of the fiberglas.

Cee ee

NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL DATA SHEETS

The National Safety Council has recently published new or revised tech-
nical data sheets on the subjects listed below. Copies of these data
sheets (by the numbers shown in parentheses) may be obtained from
the National Safety Council, 425 No. Michigan Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois 60611.

Hydrogen Sulfide (284 Revised)

Gear-Hobbing Machines (362 Revised)

Metal-Working Milling Machines (364 Revised)

Chlorates (371 Revised)

Air-Powered Hand Tools (392 Revised)

Off-the-Job Safety (601)

Inspection and Maintenance of Mechanical Power Presses (603)

Safety Nets for Construction Projects (608)

Cloth Shearing Machines (609)

HR


a complete system for keeping such maintenance records. Similar but
less detailed records should be kept for closed drains, siphons, large
gates, control works, major buildings, and other important structures.
These responsibility assignments should be periodically checked by man-
agement. Employees! suggestions for improvements should be solicited,
carefully evaluated, and promptly adopted where practicable to do so.
Good work should be commended, and need for improvements should be
noted. In fact, it was the conclusion of this discussion group that every
irrigation district should initiate some form of an incentive awards sys-
tem in which efficiency and good appearance are both recognized.

In addition to the routine regular operation and maintenance program,

the group concluded that the manager and the board should develop a
long-range program for the accomplishment of major system improve-
ments and replacements. Some of these will involve considerable capital
expenditure and must be planned a number of years ahead. Some of them
may reduce O&M costs significantly, and it is important that they be
studied carefully to weigh the costs against the benefits. Such a program
should be developed for at least 5 years in advance. It should be adjusted
and refined as the time for the work draws near, and adequate financing
should be arranged. The discussion group emphasized the importance of
training. The process of learning is continuous, and it should start at the
top. The directors on an irrigation district board should go to meetings
like this. They should call on their state educational institutions for
classes, lectures and bulletins through which both new and old directors
can get a better understanding of the functions of a board and the way it
should manage the business of the district. Similar training programs
should be developed for the manager and his principal assistants, and they
should be allowed to visit other irrigation districts to get new ideas and
to discuss mutual problems with other managers. Some form of training
should be available to all employees of the district. If this cannot be car-
ried out through the help of an outside agency, there should be an in-house
training program. The district's training program should have as its
objectives, first, improved efficiency in the operation and maintenance
program; and second, the development of employees who can fill higher
level positions.

Attention to these four elements of management; namely appearance,
assignment of responsibility, long-range programing, and training will
all improve the "pride factor" in any district organization. In the
discussions which were mentioned earlier, the group of managers gen-
erally agreed that while wages are an important element in developing
good morale, they are by no means the only factor, They cited cases
where their best employees were those who had been satisfied with grad-
ual increases in a modest income. This satisfaction stems from a know-
ledge of the importance of their service to the community and from a
strong feeling of loyalty and pride in the organization.


This issue of the Bulletin contains two suggestions from GRIST, a
publication of the National Conference on State Parks, that could be
useful to irrigation project operation and maintenance personnel.
One concerns an attachment to a forklift as shown on page 25, and,
on page 26, is a heavy duty tow bar and fair lead to be fastened on
the stern of a boat.

ii


IRRIGATION OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
BULLETIN NO. 66

October, November, December 1968

INTRODUCTION

Four basic objectives are realized by good maintenance, as pointed out
starting on page 1. The importance of good maintenance were included
in remarks made by Mr. Hollis Sanford, at the first water users confer-
ence held in Region 2, at Sacramento, California, prior to his retire-
ment from the Bureau in March 1968, as Chief, Division of Irrigation
Operations, Office of Chief Engineer, Denver, Colorado.

A suggestion on page 6, for a fiberglas gate opening indicator, points
out the advantages of fiberglas over metal when used for this purpose.

Several individual articles on safety can be found in this issue: One
on page 7 lists the most recent issues of the National Safety Council
data sheets. The article on page 9 describes an accident resulting
from flying steel fragments and suggests means of prevention, and the
article on page 16 is entitled 'What You Should Know About Studded
Tires.'' Some seat belt facts are given on page 19, and how to help
someone in case of a heart attack is discussed on page 24.

Located on page 8 is a suggestion submitted by two enterprising em-
ployees of the Cabrillo and Channel Islands National Monument for an
inexpensive mooring buoy.

Starting on page 10, is an article entitled ''Painting to Beat the Heat."
The article discusses what can be done with paint when heating of ma-
chinery occurs, and the cooling effect various paints have for chang-
ing the movement of heat to or from machinery.

Two separate suggestions submitted by Bureau personnel can be found
onpages 14and15. Thefirst one recommends hour meters be putonall
sump pumps to determine the amount of leakage at adam, andthe second
ideais for animproved method of anchoring toe rock for rock riprap.

The summary on page 20 of a report entitled ''Buried Asphalt Membrane
Canal Lining, '' presents the Bureau's findings and use of buried hot-
applied asphaltic membrane lining for control of water seepage from
canals and shallow reservoirs, and briefly describes the construction
methods.

Beginning on page 22 is a simple solution for reducing fluctuations
of automatic overflow siphons. The suggested device, now in use, is
both inexpensive and very easy to install.



The Irrigation Operation and Maintenance bulletin is published quar-
terly, for the benefit of irrigation project people. Its principal pur-
pose is to serve as a medium of exchanging operation and maintenance
information. It is hoped that the reports herein concerning labor-
saving devices and less costly equipment and procedures, developed
by resourceful project people, will result in improved efficiency and
reduced costs of the systems for those operators adapting these ideas
to their needs.

To assure proper recognition of those individuals whose suggestions
are published in the bulletins, the suggestion number as well as the
person's name is given. All Bureau offices are reminded to notify
their Suggestions Award Committee when a suggestion is adopted.

KK KK

Division of Irrigation Operations
Office of Chief Engineer
Denver, Colorado 80225

COVER PHOTOGRAPH:
Composite picture showing
various activities in the
performance of day-to-day
duties for good maintenance
on irrigation projects.
Photo PX-D-62122.



FLYING PARTICLES

Activity

Government mechanic and helper repairing track on crawler-type tractor.

Accident Situation and Occurrence

Two employees were replacing a track on a crawler-type tractor. In
the process of replacing the master track pin, a piece of flying steel
became lodged in the mechanic's left leg below the knee, The injury
resulted in 4 days' lost time.

Cause Determination and Prevention

The mechanic was driving the pin in place with a 12-pound hard steel
hammer. This accident possibly could have been avoided by proper
planning that included:

1, Cleaning the pin and track links with emory cloth.
2. Providing means by which the links could be expanded by heat,

3. Using a softer hammer to drift the pin. In addition to heating
the links with a torch, most mechanics cool the pin with dry
tee, or other means, allowing it to shrink and move freely
through the enlarged links.

Reclamation Safety News - 1967

OK OK Ok

NEW LABORATORY RESEARCH AIDS DRAINAGE STUDIES

Hydraulic research engineers of the Bureau of Reclamation's Engineer-
ing and Research Center at Denver, Colorado, have constructed a 60-
foot-long tilting flume in their laboratory to study drainage from sloping
irrigated land. They are using the flume to determine the most effec-
tive and economical spacing for installing agricultural drains on a
variety of slopes--a major consideration in the development of irrigated
agriculture. The flume is filled with fine sand and has a recharge
system, The recharge system sprinkles water on the sand surface

and simulates the application of irrigation water applied to the land.

Hook ok kk