ASCE has honored Albert Clemmens, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE, with the 2022 Arid Lands Hydraulic Engineering Award for the development of technology for improving irrigation water management that includes low-head flow measurements, canal operations and automation, irrigation project performance metrics, and hydrologic water balances.
Clemmens has had a career spanning more than 40 years that is marked by original contributions in irrigation and drainage that are recognized nationally and internationally. For most of his career, he worked at the Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, serving as director for many years. He developed technology for improving water management, including low-head flow measurement methods, canal operations, canal automation, hydrologic water balances, and irrigation project performance metrics. In his role as director, he oversaw research on irrigation management, remote sensing, wastewater reuse, crop response to global climate change, breeding of cotton and new industrial crops, plant physiology, and integrated pest management.
He has developed many software packages to help engineers measure flow rates and design surface irrigation systems. His open-channel flow measurement software, WinFlume, is used worldwide. He has written several books on flow measurement in open channels. He developed the Energy-Momentum Method for calibration of radial and sluice gates, as well as the corresponding software, WinGate. His WinSRFR software is use worldwide for improving surface irrigation systems. He also oversaw the development of the SacMan software, which is used to automatically control open-channel irrigation canals.
Clemmens is an internationally known expert in canal automation, which helps irrigation districts and farmers conserve water in arid environments. He wrote several chapters for the ASCE Manual of Practice: Canal Automation for Irrigation Systems. Clemmens is very worthy of the Arid Lands Award for his many career accomplishments and for advancing the science and engineering of irrigation.
The Arid Lands Hydraulic Engineering Award is given in recognition of original contributions in hydraulics, hydrology including climatology, planning, irrigation, and drainage, hydroelectric power development, or navigation specially applicable to arid or semiarid climates, or contributions to the understanding and development of new technology in river basins.
