Water Distribution SCADA

Palo Verde Irrigation District
Blythe, California

WaterMaster is a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system designed specifically for automated water distribution control and monitoring of the Colorado River diversionary canal system of Palo Verde Irrigation District. One dispatcher located in their central office monitors the system. Radio telemetry links spanning distances in excess of 30 miles provide data communications from the remote gate check and pump sites to the central control office. Eight video displays give the system operator a panoramic view and absolute control of canal operating conditions without setting foot outdoors.

WaterMaster takes full advantage of  high-speed radio-modems and Sixnet intelligent remote terminal units (RTUs) programmed for quick and efficient system control. The system lets an operator control gate position by absolute position, a relative "bump" up or down, or completely automatic level control operation. Water surfaces are controlled to 1/10th of an inch. Pump control, alarming, and remote station gate and water level charting are also supported. Historical data is archived to permanent Access database format for ad-hoc analysis and review.

WaterMaster is a multi-user TCP/IP Client/Server application enabling authorized district personnel to monitor, and as needed, control the canal system from their desktop PC's. WaterMaster runs on Windows XP.

The PVID canal system continues to evolve each year, currently encompassing  over 130 solar and utility powered remote sites.