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<br />GO(J5')~ <br /> <br />USE OF GROUND WATER <br /> <br />CrounJ watn is Iht' major sOllrce of WaItT ",upply for irrigation. inuu",tri;.t] ami JOlllC,>liI; <br />USi.". or tht'St', irrigation j", by far Ih...' grl'all,.'sl ll~l'r of grounJ wah.'r in Ih... t'\;Jsin ;mJ has <br />contribu!",'J gr...'atly 10 tht' ...'conom)' of the area. Till' grl'alt:s1 1,:oncl.:nlrallon of Irrigation w\.'II-.. <br />as iIIustrall.'u in Figur.... ].J. j", in Hamilton and wcstt'rn York Countic",. :.Hl'as e.....pl'ril'llcing :l <br />mC'asurahle and somewhat progressive til'c1im' in grounJ watl"T levels. Obsl'rvalion well fl'(,:ords <br />compik.J by till.' U. S. Geological Survt'y and Ihe COIl"'l'nr;ltion and Survey Divisiun show ;J <br />general decline in Harnillon and wl'sll'rn York COllntk',> of :lboUlt'ight fl.'t't sinL'1'195J. Similar <br />tkchnl's have hl't'Jl recorded in southwcslt'rn Polk and parts of Clay and Fillmort' CountiL'~. <br />(St.t' Fi!!urL' IS.) <br /> <br />Cround watt'r dL'velopment may bl..' L'xpres.'iL'd in terms of thL' rdation of g.round watt'r <br />withdrawn from sloragL' llnUt'r averagL" dimalh:: conditions to tht' average ;lI11ounb uf wah'r <br />adJI..'u to gWllnd watt'r from prt'dpitation sourCl'S. This relationship doe~ not imply that tht'rt' <br />would be no lowt'ring. of ground walL'r kvt'ls if the withdraw;lI diJ not e....ct.l...d Ihl..' r;ltC's of <br />rl'chargl' becallst.' it is improbablL' that tht' irrigation wL'lls cuuld intt'rn'pt all of thl' rl'charge tu <br />tht' basin undl'r the physical rt'lalions-hips that t'xist. <br /> <br />Irrig;ltion well lknsitks (Figurt' 14) combinl'd \'lith a consl'fVatin' L'~till1alt' of till' <br />averagl' a!lnual wilhdrawal of ground watL'( indkah's ct.'Ttain arl'as an: rl'fllO\ing grollnJ wah:r <br />from ~tura!!.... at a ratt' thrt'\." to four times tht' aVl'rage annual rail' of rl'chargl' from <br />pr....t:ipitation. This is trut' of York and lL..tmillon Countit's wht'rl' SOlllt' ~4U,OUO or the <br />countb,' 6Sl)J)OO an\."s arL' irrigatt'J (II with <JVt:rag.e annual withdrawals of ahout thrt.'l' liml's <br />Ihl' S5,OOO anl' fel'l of estimatt'd :.JVt'ragl' annual rt'chargt' in Ihest' two COlllllit's and rclall's <br />Jirl'ctly to Ihe [o\h'ring of Iht' water labk as shown In Figure 15. <br /> <br />rllt' ilwragl' annual rt'chJrgl.' to grounJ water form precipitation throughout the t.'lltire <br />basin varit's from a ft'w It.'nllls of an inch in much of Ih\." rought'r land in th.... \."astt.'fIl and <br />souIiH.'aslt.'rn parts of Ihl.' ba~in 10 about one and onL'-h.lIf incht.'s in tht' Wl,.~tt'rn part of tht' <br />hasin and a\'t'r.J~t'S about thre('.fourths inch 1.06 ft.1 for the enl;rl' ha~in. This ;l11l0unls to an <br />a'lt'ragl' anrmJI inCrt'Illent of about 175,000 3t'rl' ftol..'l although somL' of it ()(,'t.'Uf') in art'a~ of <br />low trallslT1is~ihiliti....s alld i~ not availabk' for .....,ithdrawal 1'111.' annual withdrawal~ rt'ijuiTt:J 10 <br />irrigalt' Ihe nearly 500.000 acres whit:h arl' prt'sently twing irrigal....d varies from small amounts <br />in y"'ar.. of high prl't'ipitation 10 700,000 ;lert' ft't't or mort' in tht' low prl'..:ipilalion years. and <br />probably aver...lg:t's 350,000 aert' 1'('1.'1 or mort.'. Thi.. is at leas I tv.ice Iht' an'r.J!!1' ;mnllal ralL' of <br />rt'chaf!!t.' for the entirt' basin. <br /> <br />Cround walL'r conSt'T\'alion dbtricts Wt'rt' organi/l'd in Yor~ Counly in :\ovt'mber. Il)bb <br />:.Jlld Hamilton County in .-\UgllSI. 1<167. Fillmort' and ('lay ('OUIlI}' irrig;ttors arc CUlhidl'rillg <br />thl..' fOrrTlatioll of sirnil.:.tr districts. Tllt'st' dislricts han' the authorily 10 Jl'\.....lop a program for <br />the consl'rvation of ground water. provide for ;jJditional Jata t.oll....t'tion programs. k\'Y up 10 <br />onl..' mill for Iln:meing Ih....ir Jcliviti..:s, and can inslituk rl'gulalory measurcs if and when <br />llt'Cl's'\ary. <br /> <br />2,'-' <br />