The North Platte Natural Resources District now requires the installation
and use of flow meters on all regulated wells within the Overappropirated
Area of the District.
Flow meters must be capable of measuring all the
ground water pumped by that well or by all wells hooked in a series
for each certified use. ALL WATER (including
any ditch water mingled with well water) measured through a flow meter
will be metered as ground water.
NRD
flow meter technicians are now taking initial meter readings for Water
Year 2009. Base allocation has been set at 18 acre-inches
per certified irrigated acre per year for the Overappropriated Area
of the District.
Click
Here for the
FULL TEXT of Flow Meter Rules
The Overappropriated Area includes the boundary lines
established by the Department of Natural Resources (indicated below
in pink).
View
Overappropriated map in detail
Geyser
McCrometer Sea
Metrics
Most flow meter have a volume totalizer that
registers either acre-feet, acre-inches, cubic feet, or gallons.
It is usesful to know how to convert your meter
registration value to acre-inches, since ground water allocations in
the North Platte NRD are measured in acre-inches.
Example
1: Converting Gallons to Acre-Inches
Left:
Standard 8" meter dial face with gallon totalizer. Remember to note
the multiplier beneath the totalizer. In this case, the meter reads
"GALLONS x 100", so we add 2 zeros to the 6-digit dial face reading.
Gallons = 89,057,200
Present
meter reading
89,057,200 gallons
Subtract
previous reading 79,488,700 gallons
Total
Gallons Used
9,568,500 gallons
To
convert gallons to acre-inches divide gallons used by 27,154
Example:
9,568,500 divided by 27,154 = 352.38 acre-inches
To
figure acre-inches used, divide acre-inches by acres in field (example:
125 acres) 352.38 acre-inches divided by 125 acres = 2.82 acre-inches
applied
Example
2: Converting Acre-Feet to Acre-Inches
Left:
Dial face with acre feet totalizer. Remember to note the multiplier
beneath the totalizer. In this case, the meter reads "ACRE FEET X .001",
so we place a decimal point three places to the left. Acre Feet = 974.602
Present
meter reading
974.602 acre-feet
Subtract
previous reading 968.176 acre-feet
Total
Acre-Feet Used 6.426
acre-feet
To
convert acre-feet to acre-inches, multiply acre-feet used by 12
Example:
6.426 x 12 = 77.112 acre-inches
To
figure acre-inches used, divide acre-inches by acres in field (example:
64 acres)
77.112
divided by 64 acres = 1.20 acre-inches applied
| Why
Meter?
Flow meters accurately record the amount of
water pumped and the rate at which water is passing through an
irrigation system. Flow meter information not only helps an irrigtor
monitor the efficiency of irrigation wells, but also allows water
to be appropriately applied to match a crop's evapotranspiration
(ET) rate.
The move toward metering came in 2006 after
months of work by the North Platte NRD's Water Resources Subcommittee
to come up with ways of dealing with drought-related water shortage
issues and allegations by down stream water users of over-pumping
in the North Platte NRD. Subcommittee members agree that the best
way to substantiate ground water use is through metering.
Trouble
Shooting Flow Meter Problems
The following are typical problems encountered
by NRD staff when servicing and repairing flow meters:
Condensation
Under Lens |
Flow
meter should be repaired immediately to prevent further
damage to meter. |
Meter
Lid is
Broken
or Missing |
Lid
should be replaced or meter cap installed to prevent excessive
heat build-up in meter. |
| Gray
Dust on
Dial
Face |
Excessive
vibration is damaging meter. Meter may need to be relocated.
|
| Meter
is
not
running |
Contact
your NRD immediately. |
|
