|
April 27, 2005
|
Welcome to the newsletter about all things water
in Montana!
MONTANA WATER NEWS will come your way via email every
month with fresh news about meetings and water topics that we hope is of interest to you. If you do not want to receive this
newsletter, please scroll down and follow the directions to unsubscribe. If you are seeing only
text in this email, or if it's not easy to read, please make sure your email program is set to view "HTML" messages,
or view the newsletter online in the newsletter archives. |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
MSU Leads the
Way in Water Efficiency |
A surprise drenching of a summer outdoor Shakespeare production, or watching timed lawn sprinklers do their stuff during a major rainstorm, are events of the past. During the last three years, Montana
State University-Bozeman designed and has been in the process of implementing a computer-operated, centralized irrigation control system for the 10,000-head utility that waters MSU’s 160 campus acres. When the system is fully installed, estimates forecast an up to 40-percent savings in water usage.
|
Jon Ford, MSU's grounds manager, remembers when campus irrigation was supplied with City of Bozeman water, up through the mid-1980s. Five miles of ground hose networked the campus, fed through galvanized pipes in ground boxes. "I think we supplied half of the town with those hoses," says Ford, who often was faced with replacing missing hose. Irrigating would begin at 5 in the morning, and five hours later, the City would shut campus down because of intense pressure drops. All controls were manual, making split shifts mandatory in order to resume irrigation again in the evening. Too many times, Ford would show up at work the next morning to find pools of water where a prankster overturned a sprinkler in the night.
Ford began to look at the University's water rights which are old and ample. Construction of the stadium put the old flood irrigation system to rest and, in 1985, a 4.5-million-gallon reservoir and associated pump station was constructed south of campus to serve new irrigation mains to campus. A timed sprinkler system was installed, but it took weeks to throttle back and adjust runtimes in accordance with weather changes. On top of that, human traffic and lawnmowers played a big part in the constant need to replace sprinkler heads.
Now campus has newfound control and efficiency, with the phased installation of the Rain
Bird’s (a Tucson-based company) Maxicom Central Control system. Commonly used on the best golf courses and large Las Vegas hotels, and surprisingly on very few campuses, this system offers highly-controlled irrigation by taking advantage of many types of sensors. The entire campus is divided into 60-80 regions, each with its own micro-climate and controller. Each controller operates 6-28 mini zones, and each mini zone is watered by 10-55 heads, depending of size of zone. The system automatically adjusts and implements the irrigation schedule based on daily water loss or gain.
|
For example, the controller for each region receives the previous day’s evapo-transpiration loss via radio from a central weather station on campus. Then, the regional controller computes the needed mini zone runtimes to replenish the previous day’s lost water. When outdoor events are planned, the central computer can also schedule irrigation turn-offs in that area; the next day, the system computes the missed watering day and readjusts to make up for losses. When it rains rain, system sensors automatically turn off the areas once the pre-programmed precipitation amounts are met. Watering in the rain will never happen again.This system offers incredible control and efficiency, says Ford. It's expensive, but when you look at labor and water savings, it's all for the good. People often ask him why he doesn't turn to artificial turf or a system of xeriscaping—planting campus with native plants requiring little water. He says that though Montana is considered arid, our climate is not so severe that weeds can't out-complete the natives. “We'd be weeding all the time, plus grass lawns actually create a specialized environment. There are maybe a dozen weed species in a sod lawn versus hundreds in artificially xeriscaped areas.” On top of that, sod self-repairs quickly; artificial turf costs millions to replace. He adds that green grass creates a cool environment, doesn't get muddy when wet or overly dusty when dry – all appealing qualities for a high-traffic campus. With 70 percent of the irrigation control system already installed, Ford expects the entire system to be in full operation by October, 2005.
[ The
next issue will report on breakthroughs in agricultural irrigation efficiency
] |
|
|
|
| |
|
Engineers
Without Borders |
|
Engineers
Without Borders at Montana State University (EWB-MSU) is a student chapter
of EWB-USA. The chapter engages students and professionals in the implementation
of sustainable engineering solutions for the developing global community.
EWB-MSU is currently
working on a water and sanitation project at two of 56 schools in the Khwisero
district of Western Province, Kenya. The primary schools, Shirali and Munyanza,
host 850 and 350 students, respectively, and have no clean water source or improved
latrines on site. Students often miss school to fetch water for their families
and it is not always from a clean water source. This is mainly the girls' job.
The on-site toilets are primitive pit latrines consisting of close to full holes
and crumbling structures. At Shirali there are 5 toilets for the boys and 5 toilets
for the girls. At Munyanza there are 2 toilets for the girls and 2 toilets for
the boys.
The goal of EWB-MSU
is to provide students and families living near the school with clean water and
toilets, giving more students the chance to go to school and providing a better
learning environment. If project funding is secured, EWB-MSU is planning to travel
to Kenya in early August 2005 to work with the community and implement the project.
For information
about EWB-MSU and ways to support this humanitarian project check out the web
site at http://www.chbe.montana.edu/ewb or
contact Dr. Sue King, faculty advisor, at MSU-Bozeman, 406-994-7474. |
|
|
| |
|
Montana’s Water: Legislative Update |
| It was an
active session for the Montana Legislature on water bills, including those passed
to expedite the state water adjudication process, restore St. Mary’s Canal, and
pay for Montana’s role in the Fort Belknap Indian tribes’ water rights compact.
For the full story
from the Great Falls Tribune, go to http://water.montana.edu/whatsnew/details.asp?ItemID=546. |  |
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
Montana Watercourse Joins the Water Center |
Debbie Zarnt, Frances
Moore, Karen Filipovich, and Janet
Bender-Keigley |
The
Montana Water Center is pleased to announce the Montana
Watercourse Water Education Program will become a new department of
the Water Center. We welcome Watercourse Director Karen Filipovich, Office Manager
Janet Bender-Keigley, Community Outreach Coordinator Debbie Zarnt, and Education
Outreach Coordinator Francis Moore. To
find out more about the work of the Montana Watercourse, visit http://www.mtwatercourse.org. |
|
|
|
| |
|
Operator
Basics 2005 Available in May! |
|
The
long-awaited 2005 version of Operator Basics training for operators
of small drinking water systems will be available free of charge from the National
Environmental Services Center (NESC) in May. Operator Basics 2005 contains three
courses -- Surface Water Systems, Ground Water Systems, and Wastewater Lagoons
-- and a “Water Exploration” showcase. The software also offers a math practice
section with 500 animated math problems and solutions, 500 exam prep quiz questions,
study games, a glossary and links to useful resources. Access to print and copy
content is free. Consult
this support site at http://water.montana.edu/training/ob2005
to see if your state certification agency has approved this training for credit.
For
product support information, please email watercenter@montana.edu.
You can also find out more at the NESC web site at http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/ndwc,
or call (800) 624-8301.
|
|
|
| |
Whirling
Disease Research Awards Announced for 2005-2006 |
|
The
National Partnership for the Management of Wild and Native Cold Water
Fisheries and Montana University System, MSU-Bozeman
announce the recent award of $643,625 for 10 research projects to be conducted
between May 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006.
For the project
summaries, go to http://whirlingdisease.montana.edu/
resources/research/research.htm. |
|
| |
 |
| |
DNRC’s 35 Job Openings Now Official
With passage of
House Bill 22, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has
35 job openings for two Water Resource Specialist Supervisors, 31 Water Resource
Specialists, and two GIS Specialists. DNRC is now recruiting. Please go to these
links for the full job announcements.
Water Resources Specialist (Specialist Supervisor)
[88 KB PDF]
Water
Resources Specialist
[80 KB PDF]
GIS Specialist
[104 KB PDF] |
|
| |
 |
| |
Facts
about Watersheds, Fog, and Water Quality
The UNESCO
Water Portal web site provides on-line access to all sorts of information
related to freshwater. All water managers are invited to
participate by providing information on activities, useful links, news and content
which they wish to share with others and generally make more widely available.
Visit the web site at http://www.unesco.org/water.
The last three issues of Water Portal have focused on watersheds, water quality
and fog. Here are a few quick facts from the long lists provided in each issue:
Watershed
Facts:
- The Nile River is the longest river in the world. From its major
source, Lake Victoria in east central Africa, the White Nile flows generally
north through Uganda and into Sudan where it meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum,
which rises in the Ethiopian highlands. From the confluence of the White and
Blue Nile, the river continues to flow northwards into Egypt and on to the Mediterranean
Sea. From Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea the length of the Nile is 5,584
km. From its remotest headstream, the Ruvyironza River in Burundi, the river
is 6,671 km long. The river basin has an area of more than 3,349,000 sq. km.
- The
largest river basin in the world is that drained by the Amazon. It covers about
6,145,186 sq km.
- The
Amazon is the river that carries the most water in the world. In Brazil, an average
of 120,000 m3 of water flows from the Amazon into the Atlantic Ocean every second.
Fog Facts:
- Fog is a hydrometeor
consisting of a visible aggregate of minute water droplets (or ice crystals),
suspended in the atmosphere near the Earth's surface, generally reducing the
horizontal visibility at the Earth's surface level to less than 1 km.
- Water droplets are only about 0.01 millimetres in diameter. A dense fog contains
about 1,200 visible drops per cubic centimetre of empty space — barely enough
water to wet an object’s surface.
Water Quality
Facts:
- The quality of
natural water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs and below the ground surface depends
on a number of interrelated factors. These factors include geology, climate,
topography, biological processes and land use.
- The most frequent
sources of pollution are human waste (with 2 million tons a day disposed of in
watercourses), industrial waste and chemicals, and agricultural pesticides and
fertilizers. Key forms of pollution include fecal coliforms, industrial organic
substances, acidifying substances from mining aquifers and atmospheric emissions,
heavy metals from industry, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate pollution and pesticide
residues from agriculture, sediments from human-induced erosion to rivers, lakes
and reservoirs.
|
|
| |
 |
| |
So
many meetings, so little time. Even so, there are a few that water folks just
shouldn't miss!
Take special note of the newly announced Western
Wetlands Conference slated
for Denver in October 2005.
Find more information on these and other upcoming events on the
Events Calendar at MONTANA
WATER.
 MSAWWA/MWEA
2005 Annual Joint Conference, Billings, April 27 - 29, 2005 [INFO] |
Conservation
Security Program Sign-up Dates Announced, Helena, April 28 - May 27, 2005 [INFO] |
Symposium
of Fishery Sciences in Mexico, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, May 2
- May 4, 2005 [INFO] |
ASDSO
Northeast Regional Conference, Cape May, NJ, May 16 - May 18, 2005 [INFO] |
Wetland
Stewardship Award Ceremony, Helena, May 18, 2005 [INFO] |
7th
Annual Super Conference: Law of the Colorado River, Las Vegas, NV, May 19 - May
20, 2005 [INFO] |
2005
River Rally, Keystone, CO, May 20 - May 24, 2005 [INFO] |
9th
Annual Missouri River Natural Resources Conference, Pierre, SD, May 22 - May
25, 2005 [INFO] |
2nd
Annual Yellowstone Business Partnership Conference, Grand Teton National Park,
WY, May 23 - May 25, 2005 [INFO] |
Wildlife
Habitat Conservation Grants Available, Washington, DC, May 31, 2005 [INFO] |
26th
Summer Conference: Hard Times on the Colorado, Boulder, CO,
June 8 - June 10, 2005 [INFO] |
5th
Annual Symposium of Management of Aquifer Recharge, Berlin, Germany, June 11
- June 16, 2005 [INFO] |
30th
Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop, Shepherdstown, WV, June 13 - June 17, 2005 [INFO] |
|
| |
|
|
