Raymond Irrigation District (RID) measures the flow rate of water delivered to over 46,000 acres of irrigated land and 300 municipal and agricultural water users in Southern Alberta, Canada.

Most of the RID’s flow monitoring applications are in open channels or partially filled culverts. For help with this submerged culvert application they turned to the irrigation engineering firm Wilde Bros Engineering Ltd. of Welling Alberta for solutions. Wilde Bros selected Greyline DFM 5.1 Doppler Flow Meters for the project. The DFM 5.1 is available with a submersible QZ2L ultrasonic sensor and waterproof cable designed for continuous operation under water.

The DFM 5.1 sensors were installed with stainless steel mounting brackets screwed to the inside wall of the 30” concrete pipes.

Cables to the sensors were run in PVC conduit from solar-powered electronics in nearby panels. Each flowmeter is equipped with a 2-million point data logger so RID personnel can retrieve flow reports by plugging a USB memory stick into the instrument. The ultrasonic sensors are removed after each irrigation season to prevent damage from winter ice.