Irrigation District Service in the Western United States

Data were obtained from 61 agricultural districts within the Mid-Pacific Region of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, regarding the level of water delivery service provided to users, water pricing, associated characteristics, and plans for modernization. A flexibility index was developed and used by the writers to characterize the degree of water delivery flexibility provided by each district. The flexibility index provides a rating of 3-15 (15 being the highest value) based upon the frequency, rate, and duration of irrigation water delivery service to farmers. The data show that 42% of the districts received a flexibility score of 12 or greater, with two of the districts receiving almost perfect scores. Based on these results, a program for technical assistance to irrigation districts was developed and implemented. A high priority item was supervisory control and data acquisition systems.