“Rubicon offers the highest range of telemetry, because it has control and measurement coupled into a single device, with self-sufficient energy,” said Manuel Domínguez, Civil Engineer advisor to Canal Bellavista
The severe drought affecting the Coquimbo Region highlights the importance of making the most of the available water, especially in the context of agricultural irrigation. For this reason, it is essential to implement technology that minimises system losses and allows water to be automatically distributed to irrigators when they need it.
The solutions delivered to Bellavista by Rubicon have the unique ability to control flows, provide accurate delivery data, remote monitoring, as well as managing irrigation efficiently with a solution designed specifically for the customer. Rubicon’s irrigation modernisation solutions have been implemented by some of the world’s largest irrigation districts and are gaining increased adoption by water user organisations in Chile.
The Association of Canalistas del Canal Bellavista understands the benefits of Rubicon’s technology and the increasing need to preserve precious water resources. With this knowledge, they’ve opted to modernise their network, allowing operators to know precisely how much water is being distributed through the system, providing reliable and sustainable service to irrigators.
At the beginning of June 2021, Rubicon worked on the installation of 3 additional overshot FlumeGates, in the Ceres sector, near La Serena. This section of the system is now 60% complete in terms of automation. Images below.
The Bellavista Canal has a length of 60kms, servicing approximately 6000 hectares of irrigated land and benefiting around 1,500 irrigators.
“So when you start to see the operation of the FlumeGates over time and collect data, you realise that before you were blind and had no idea what was going on in the channel. As we installed the automated gates in several places, we understood many things that were happening, for example, significant losses,” said Manuel Domínguez, Civil Engineer advisor to Canal Bellavista
Gastón Sagredo, Commercial Manager of Rubicon Water LatAm, said that “Our solutions allow farmers to make decisions in irrigation management, receiving water at rates appropriate to their crops. Rubicon technology adapts to the conditions in which the premises or canals are located. We deliver integrated solutions, because within a single device – is the gate, measurement system with high-precision ultrasonic sensors, and solar panels for sustainable powering and operation of the devices in remote locations.”
