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<br />'OOi2G: <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />the water problems of the State of Oregon although Oregon is a <br />leader in conservation of its water resources. The state still <br />has water problems common to those of you in the 11 vestern <br />states. One of the major problems facing Oregon is the misplace- <br />ment of water resources, the problem of how to provide water on <br />the thousands of acres of high quality soils that receive average <br />annual precipitation of 10 to 12 inches. <br />We find that in our major consumptive use - irrigation, the <br />average delivery of irrigation water per acre irrigated by organi- <br />zations is 3.4 acre-feet. The net irrigation requirements for <br />crops such as alfalfa veries considerably throughout the state due <br />to the varying climatic conditions but ranges from 20 inches in <br />the Willamette Valley of western Oregon to 32 inches in Hermiston <br />in northeast~rn Oregon. The actual consumptive use will, of <br />course, be both above and below these figures on an annual besis <br />depending upon the weather for thet particular year. <br />Oregon farmers have for many years been involved in conserva- <br />tion practices such es land leveling, installation of irrigation <br />structures and Similar developments undertaken by both private and <br />public fands. Most areas irrigated in Oregon do not have seepage <br />problems in ditches. However, where they do occur, many miles of <br />concrete-lined djtches have been constructed. <br />Pump-back systems are a common sight. Low lift pumps ara <br />used to return runoff water to the head ditch on the far. with <br />no water needs to be lost through runoff. For exampls, 25 percent <br />of the farms on the North flnit, a 50,OOO-acre project in central <br />Oregon, have such systems. <br />