Laserfiche WebLink
<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />N <br />o <br />'-'"1 <br />o <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Studies indicate that drainage flovs can be reduced to about <br />175,000 acre-feet annually by ~he time the plant is operational by <br />improving onfarm irrigation eff~ciencies and by reducing the project <br />acreage from the authorized 75,000 acres to 65,000 acres. <br /> <br />Because irrigation applications directly affect the aquifer that <br />underlies Wellton-110havk District lands, the Bureau of Reclamation and <br />the District began a program to improve irrigation-efficiencies in <br />May 1973. <br /> <br />This program of Irrigation Management Services (IMS) uses a <br />computerized technique that integrates climate, crop, and soil data <br />to determine the time and amount of vater for each irrigation, thus <br />providing the decision-making information required for optimum <br />irrigation management. The expected benefits include increased crop <br />yield and reduced vater delivery and labor requirements, fertilizer <br />costs, and drainage requirements. <br /> <br />The IMS program is being conducted jointly on a demonstration <br />basis and, if successful, will be subsequently operated by the District. <br /> <br />Still higher irrigation efficiencies are considered possible under <br />a program of significantly improved irrigation management, vhich would <br />include improved measurements of water delivered to fields, land <br />forming, some changes in field layouts and size, and other measures. <br />Such a program, however, vould likely include irrigation system auto- <br />mation, extensive changes to existing systems, and changes to limited <br />vater application systems, in addition to the practices included in the <br />IMS program. Details of this expanded program will be developed by a <br />special Advisory Committee on Irrigation Efficiency comprised of <br />representatives of the Department of the Interior, Department of <br />Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency. <br /> <br />1. Acreage Reduction. Of the 10,000 acres to be removed from the <br />authorized size of the Wellton-Mohawk District, about 3,800 acres are <br />Federally-owned, undeveloped irrigable lands vhich viII not be sold for <br />development. The remaining 6,200 acres of private or State-owned land <br />must be acquired. A portion of these are presently undeveloped, but it <br />vill also be necessary to retire several thousand acres of developed land <br />that are included in the total. <br /> <br />If the reduction in acreage, combined with the increased irrigation <br />efficiency, fails to reduce the return flows to the required 175,000 acre- <br />feet annually, the plan of development calls for the additional purchase <br />of up to 5,000 acres of project lands. <br /> <br />2. Reduced Drainage Flow Costs. The cost of reducing the Wellton- <br />110havk District acreage and implementing the improved irrigation efficiency <br />program is estimated to be $10,500,000. An additional $2,000,000 is required <br />for studies to be conducted at the direction of the Advisory Committee on <br />Irrigation Efficiency. <br /> <br />13 <br />