Boots on the ground: construction management of urbanizing irrigated farm land: Fid-Bau Portal

Boots on the ground: construction management of urbanizing irrigated farm land

Neese, Donovan / Gerak, Ed / Cooper, Walt

Abstract Since its inception, in 1885 the Buckeye Irrigation Canal has delivered irrigation water in the Buckeye Valley, southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout its tenure the owners of the canal have consulted design professionals for its engineering needs. Early engineering in 1885 established canal alignments, delivery points and channel capacity. Until recently, the Buckeye Valley was a rural area relying on agricultural revenues to drive the local economy. Now, due to the recent housing market boom new homes started springing up like corn in September driving the existing open-channel laterals below grade into a patch work redesigned pipeline system. Because of these changes, professional construction managers are an enormous benefit to the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District (BWCDD), the owner of the canal.As a result of this urbanization, contractors working for home developers are installing irrigation pipelines and systems with the focus of completing the project as quickly and economically as possible. Irrigation providers, on the other hand, focus on meeting the agricultural needs of their clients with consistent and uninterrupted water delivery. The services of a professional construction manager help both entities achieve their respective goals, shield BWCDD from construction of sub-par systems and risk, maintain uninterrupted service to growers and providing the technical expertise to communicate with both BWCDD and contractors.Construction managers provide a number of services to rural irrigation districts under-going urbanization. They team with an irrigation district by: Understanding irrigation design concepts;Understanding agricultural demands;Providing a thorough knowledge of construction practices and standards;Creating long-term design functionality;Reducing stress on and increasing productivity of personnel;Coordinating construction activities with water deliveries;Verifying constructed facilities perform as designed, which reduces maintenance costs.Construction managers represent an irrigation district in the field by: Reviewing development plans for adherence to current construction standards and practices and coordinates construction schedules with water delivery needs;Observing construction for proper installation;Clarifying installers understanding of plans and specifications;Coordinating interruptions in service;Tracking multiple construction projects;Explaining agricultural practices to contractor personnel;Providing a single point of contact for construction related correspondence.These “boots on the ground” create a local presence with a focus on the specific needs unique to an irrigation district. They provide a liaison while minimizing the impact to its growers.This paper will discuss the strain of urbanization on an irrigation district and the benefits of an engineering consulting firm to manage construction projects. The benefits include expertise, technical resources, design capability, coordination and inspection. Construction managers can help protect an irrigation district from being overwhelmed by rapid urbanization.