Largest River Island in the United States Manages Flood Control with In-Situ Inc. System
Introduction
Some of the most fertile agricultural lands in the United States are found in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Sauvie Island, the largest river island in the United States, lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Portland. The Columbia River flows along the east, the Multnomah Channel lies to the west, and the Willamette River to the south.The 26,000-acre {105 km2) island provides rich farmland and a refuge for wildlife.
The Sauvie Island Drainage Improvement Company was created to maintain and manage the flood control works built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the 1940s. Originally created as a Drainage District, the company reorganized as an Oregon nonprofit corporation in 1995. The Company is supported through assessments on land owner's property within the boundaries of the District.
Water level management a necessity
The island's elevation is below the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. In order to maintain arable land, over 30 miles of canals drain the island to a low point. A pump station, built in 1941 by the USACE, pumps water over a levee and into the Willamette River. Pumps installed in the 1940s are still operating. Depending on river elevation and seasonal requirements for farmers, up to four pumps can be run to lower water levels behind the levee.
Until recently, the district manager, Tim Couch, monitored water levels by checking a staff gage or rowing a boat across the drainage pond to retrieve a logging instrument that was not connected to a controller, and not able to communicate remotely. When the time came to remove water from the island,
'For example, when fall comes and farmers are harvesting, we pump water out of the canals so that the land dries out for easier harvesting,' Couch explained. 'During the growing season, water levels are higher so that farmers can irrigate crops. In the summer, canal water levels are maintained at about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) and in the fall, 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m).'
Energy costs spur change
'When I was manually monitoring water levels and running the pumps, we'd often run pumps longer than necessary to ensure that water levels were lowered properly,' Couch said.
But with rising energy costs, this method lacked the efficiencies that automation could provide. So the Sauvie Island Drainage Improvement Company worked with engineers to develop a solution that would reduce energy consumption. Engineers determined that a water level data logger and a controller could be used to automate pumping. A grant from the Energy Trust of Oregon helped to pay for new equipment.
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