This summer has been busy! Posts here have fallen behind as I have been keeping up with clients’ needs for SB 88 compliance.
I am taking just a moment to mention the new Watchman Flumes. A new manufacturer is making these heavy-duty flumes tough enough that cattle could step on one or rub against it and probably not bend it.
10-gauge steel is used, slightly thicker than 1/8″. The walls and ramps are heavily reinforced with 1/8″ angle-iron and high-strength Grade 8 bolts to minimize flexing and bending. Back-filling these flumes will not bend the walls or wingwalls, even when using concrete for fill.
Watchman Flumes are delivered disassembled with all the fasteners. At this time the manufacturer is only selling through Rights To Water Engineering, but that may change in the future.
Sizes range from 2 to 60 cubic feet per second. The flumes are accurate to better than +/- 5%, which is well within the Water Board’s requirement of +/- 10% for new measurement devices.
These are priced competitively with pre-manufactured flumes for similar flows, too. That makes higher durability and longer life at the same price as flumes made from 1/16″ sheet metal.
Expect to see more of these going in at diversions around Northern and Central California. I will post photos of installations as I get permission from landowners.
