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<br />GO <br />"'".;14 <br />,,-,oJ <br />"f'""i <br /> <br />Report to the United States Department of the Interior, <br />Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />'-, <br /> <br />c:.' <br /> <br />Coooerative Aareement for Surae Irriaation Research <br />and Develooment Proaram, Grand Vallev Unit <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />As a resuit of a grant from the USDI, Bureau of Reclamation (# 0-FC.40-09270.l to <br />Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, surge irrigation valves and <br />controllers were supplied to 128 farm sites within the Grand Valley of Colorado. <br /> <br />The purpose of these installations is to test and demonstrate surge technology to <br />area farmers. The equipment also enables irrigators to improve their irrigation <br />efficiency and to reduce the deep percolation and its resultant salt loading of the <br />Colorado River. The valves were installed by the cooperators on fields of corn, <br />alfaifa, small grain, beans, pasture, and orchard crops. <br /> <br />Cooperative Extension personnel studied 149 irrigation events throughout the <br />1993 irrigation season. Of these 140 provided usable data, and 41 events provided <br />comparisons between conventional and surge. Results of the irrigation evaluations <br />with surge, as well as with conventionally irrigated fields, indicated that the surge <br />irrigations were instrumental in reducing deep percolation of excess irrigation <br />water. <br /> <br />The 41 direct comparison evaluations from the 1993 irrigation season indicated <br />that deep percolation was reduced by 21 acre-inches which translates into a salt <br />load reduction of 28 tons. <br /> <br />Reducing deep percolation losses by 560 acre inches during the 4 irrigation <br />seasons indicates the potential savings due to equipment improvements. The 560 <br />acre inches of deep percolation reduction left over 1,000 tons of salt in place. <br />Additional benefits may be achieved with improved water management. <br /> <br />Projections based on the average salt load reduction over the four year period <br />indicate a total salt saving of 1,617 tons during the 1993 season, This salt <br />reduction of 1,617 tons should continue during the life of the equipment assuming <br />that current water management practices continue. <br /> <br />1 <br />