I am glad to be getting measuring devices and data loggers installed – it is enjoyable work and diverters are getting peace of mind. All of my work is confidential so clients’ names won’t be mentioned without permission. That being said, a few projects can be discussed here.
This is a unique weir installation – it is doing two things at once. Two 4′ wide weirs are side by side, set on a leveled, compacted base of 3/4″ minus road base.
First, it has a splitter built in as part of the weir – see the low wall behind me. Two water rights are precisely split inside the weir itself so each user gets the correct amount.
Second, it is a double weir. The ditch has low banks, but around 10 cfs needs to be accurately measured. Weirs ideally pass a maximum of 1 cfs per foot of width, so this exceeds that by 25%, while still keeping the water inside t
he ditch. So, why use weirs instead of a flume, which can pass much more flow per foot of width? Weirs are better understood in this area, the ditch has adequate width, and it makes splitting the flows easier.
A plate metal wall splits the 2 weirs into 3. Board slots were added with angle iron…you can guess from the photo that the iron lengths had to be cut down a bit for a 1-board, 2″ x 12″ weir.
Board slots had to be bolted on both sides of the plate steel. My friend Bob, owner of B & J Welding & Machine, Inc. in Anderson, cut, welded and drilled the plate steel wall.
A water level logger sits at the back of the shared weir walls, and records hourly water levels 24 x 7 x 365. Vandalism is a concern so the logger is locked up, and only the owner and I can get in.
1/4″ thick plate metal wingwalls upstream and downstream protect against flow working its way around the sides. The wingwalls add stability, keeping the weirs from tipping sideways or tilting up- or downstream.
The final result is s solid, long-lasting installation that meets the requirements of SB 88!
