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10

Water Measurement

10.1 INTRODUCTION
Rapidly expanding aquacultural industries require more water from the
limited resource. Knowing the amount of water delivered to a water
use system will help reduce waste. Water measurement is important in
effectively using water in an aquaculture system. This will also help
aquaculturists share the resource fairly with other water users.
Many methods of measuring water are available. Some are compli-
cated and require expensive measurement devices, and others are simple
and inexpensive. In general, simple inexpensive methods are less accurate
than expensive methods. Selection of a method should be determined by
the availability of measuring devices, adequacy of the site, and accuracy
required. Most water-control structures in open channels can be used to
measure flow with a minimum effort if they have the hydraulic charac-
teristics discussed in this chapter, which include drop structures, sluice
gates, siphons, inverted siphons, culverts, inlet structures, diversion
gates, and other structures.

10.2 UNITS
Water is measured in two ways: in motion and at rest. Water measured in
motion is the discharge or flow rate (cfs or gpm). One cfs is equivalent to
448.8 gpm, but for simplicity 450 gpm may be used. In general, cfs is used
to measure large flows, such as in canals and streams, and gpm is used for
small flows, such as in pipes or from pumps or springs. Water measured
at rest is a volume (in gal, fe, acre-in., or acre-ft). One acre-ft of water
represents a volume of water that will uniformly cover 1 acre to a depth

264
K. H. Yoo et al., Hydrology and Water Supply For Pond Aquaculture
© Chapman & Hall 1994
Principles of Water Measurement 265

TABLE 10-1 Common Units Used in Measuring Rate and


Volume of Water Flow, and Their Conversion Factors

Volume
1 ft 3 = 7.48gal = 1,728in. 3 = 62.4lb at 50°F
1 gal = 231 in.3
1 acre-in. = 1 in. of water which uniformly covers 1 acre of land
= 3,630fe = 27,154 gal
1 acre-ft = 1 foot of water which uniformly covers 1 acre of land
= 43,560ft3 = 325,850gal
Flow Rate
1 fe/sec (cfs) = 7.48gal/sec = 449gal/min (gpm)
1 gpm = 0.0023cfs = 1,440gal/day (gpd)
1 acre-in.lhr = 452 gpm = approximately 1 cfs
1 cfs flowing for
1 hr = 0.992 acre-in. or approx. 1acre-in.
12 hr = 0.992 acre-ft or approx. 1acre-ft
24 hr = 1.984 acre-ft or approx. 2 acre-ft
Note: General unit conversion factors are given in Appendix A.

of 1ft. It is equivalent to 43,560ft3 . Acre-feet or acre-inches are used to


measure a large volume of water, whereas small volumes are measured in
cubic feet or gallons; 1 ft 3 is approximately equivalent to 7.5 gal. Table
10-1 shows several common units for volume and rate of flow, along with
useful conversion factors.

10.3 PRINCIPLES OF WATER


MEASUREMENT
Measurement of a flow rate is based on application of the formula

Q = Av (10-1)

where Q = flow rate (ft 3/sec or cfs)


A = flow cross-sectional area (ft2)
v = mean flow velocity (ft/sec or fps)
Therefore, measurement of a flow rate involves determination of the
mean velocity and cross-sectional area of the flow . Measurement of a flow
volume requires integration of the flow rate for the time period involved.

V= Qt (10-2)

where V = volume of flow (ft 3) and t = time of flow (sec).

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