Innovative Technology Guides Turlock Irrigation District’s Water Management Program

• by Turlock Irrigation District
• Mar 28, 2022

Turlock Irrigation District’s Water Management Program focuses on stewarding our precious resource, the Tuolumne River, through innovative research, assessment and data-driven decision making to promote climate and water resilience and improve operational efficiency to ensure growers have the vital water supply needed in wet and dry years.

TID utilizes data and emerging technology to manage its water resources to the best of its ability with the following factors and stakeholders in mind: irrigation customers, environmental obligations and stewardship, planning for future needs, and ensuring the safety of our communities. Through private, state and federal partnerships, TID has been able to pioneer the use of innovative technologies through its Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) program, working with NASA as it initiated the use of LiDAR imaging technology to measure the snowpack, and Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) program, through a partnership with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the lead organization in understanding Atmospheric Rivers.

Both programs support the enhancement of TID’s water management operations and has put TID on the path as a leader in efficient water practices. The ASO program, combined with atmospheric river data, has been the best resource for accurate snowpack data and long-range precipitation forecasts, which has guided TID’s water management operations. TID is active in working with elected officials to articulate the importance of innovative water tools and the funding of emerging technology. TID was instrumental in the introduction and eventual endorsement of Federal bills HR 8041 (Harder CA-10) and S 4530 (Feinstein CA) the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act.

Prior to the access of innovative technology, TID had to rely on information from only 17 measurement points within the 1,500 square-mile Tuolumne River Watershed. Now TID has access to three billion measurements that allow water managers to make exacting decisions, with 97% accuracy. TID’s investment in state of the art technology and tools has made a great impact to TID’s operations. The ASO data also allows flood control releases to be made in accordance with what is actually in the watershed as opposed to an educated guess. For example, in 2018 TID was able to save 150,000 acre feet of proposed flood releases, water that would have otherwise been sent out of Don Pedro and released into the river. Using data-based technology, TID was able to make limited releases that to ensure public safety, while allowing the District to retain more water that could be efficiently used at a later date. ASO has allowed for the assessment of many on the ground conditions that support forest health, fire management and recreation.

TID has been able to meet its objectives in managing water resources to the best of its ability in support of our customers while maintaining the safety of our community through good stewardship.

TID also supports irrigation customers by developing self-service water management tools, and has been able to provide timely, fact-based updates to our irrigation customers to help determine water allocation through accurate data sets. TID remains committed to environmental obligations and stewardship by implementing technological advances in forecasting (ASO) to be even better stewards of our natural resources. Forecasting tools have allowed water managers the ability to maximize water allocation while ensuring the District has adequate carryover storage to fulfill the environmental flow requirements to optimize river flows and pulse releases in consecutive dry years and help to mitigate over releasing in wet years.

Technology has provided TID with the confidence to invest in new infrastructure that will support the preservation of our natural resources including the development of regulating reservoirs. Lastly, ensuring the safety of communities is a top priority. Through the innovative technology and data employed at TID, water managers are able to minimize flood risk in wet years. The real-time data provided through TID’s water management program allows water managers and key stakeholders the ability to track changes in weather systems to act swiftly with accuracy. These practices provide the water and energy team members the ability to be nimble and make operational adjustments, like maximizing the use of hydropower during the 2020 August heatwave, understanding ground conditions that support forest health, fire management, and managing flood control releases to ensure public safety, while allowing the District to retain more water that could be efficiently used at a later date, further maximizing the water-power nexus.

Nearly all of the water TID manages for its 4,700 agriculture customers, and all of the water impounded in Don Pedro, is sourced from the snow pack of the Tuolumne River Watershed – this water is the lifeblood of the communities it serves.

Although TID is in its 135th year as an irrigation district, the desire to continually push the status quo in search of innovative and unique solutions to hard problems remains at the core of its operations. The District has a great appreciation for, and understands the value of, exploring partnerships; even those that seem unlikely or unconventional. Working together with elected officials and advocating for new initiatives, practices, and innovations is key. The old mantra of “this is how we’ve always done things” does not apply at TID. Innovation is a standard practice at Turlock Irrigation District.