Proceedings of a symposium on irrigation water delivery systems, held in Portland, Oregon, July 28-30, 1987. Sponsored by the Irrigation and Drainage Division of ASCE. This collection contains 34 papers on planning, operation, rehabilitation, and automation of irrigation water delivery systems. Papers respond to the need for water delivery flexibility to maximize on-farm yield and for water conservation through more effective on-farm use. Papers discuss how to upgrade, rehabilitate, or automate water delivery systems so that they can respond to changes in demand patterns, provide water users with reliable and flexible water supplies, be managed to achieve maximum firm water yield, and continue to be able to meet present and future demands.

This report presents a methodology for identifying the main features (constraints and opportunities) of gravity-fed irrigation systems, which influence management and operation of the system for the purpose of water delivery. It presents the development of a generic for improving irrigation system operations. A case study of 64 irrigation systems in Sri Lanka is presented illustrating the practical application of the proposed typology.