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RGDSS_Task4_RioGrandeCanal_Interview
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Last modified
9/26/2011 8:33:24 AM
Creation date
7/2/2008 9:54:40 AM
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Decision Support Systems
Title
RGDSS Task 4 - Basin Interviews
Description
Memo documenting interview with Rio Grande Canal Water Users Association.
Decision Support - Doc Type
Task Memorandum
Date
6/13/1999
DSS Category
Surface Water
DSS
Rio Grande
Basin
Rio Grande
Contract/PO #
C153863
Grant Type
Non-Reimbursable
Bill Number
HB98-1189, SB99-173
Prepared By
Leonard Rice Engineering
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Cropping Within the Service Area <br />The principal crops irrigated under the Rio Grande Canal include: <br />• potatoes <br />• carrots <br />• lettuce <br />• wheat <br />• alfalfa <br />• oats <br />• barley <br />There is not significant crop rotation from year to year within the service area <br />Irrigation Techniques <br />Sprinkler systems, primarily center-pivots, are the principal method of irrigation under the Rio <br />Grande Canal today (1999). The use of sprinklers has increased dramatically over the last 15 to <br />20 years. Whereas in the early 1970s there were only 2 or 3 sprinklers in the service area, <br />sprinklers presently account for about 95 percent of irrigation water application. Today, there <br />continues to be a small percentage of lands that are flood irrigated. <br />Sprinkler systems in the service area can be supplied with water in several ways. The most <br />common supply is from groundwater pumping from the unconfined aquifer. Sprinklers can also <br />be supplied from surface diversions, where the water is typically run into small ponds, then <br />pumped to the sprinkler. Many of the center pivots in the service area can be interchangeably <br />operated using both groundwater and surface water. <br />System Gains and Losses <br />Today (1999) the Rio Grande Canal is operated largely for ground water recharge.. That is, a <br />majority of the water diverted is used intentionally to recharge the unconfined aquifer. This water <br />is then recaptured using groundwater wells. As such, Canal and other losses in the conveyance <br />system are viewed as beneficial. <br />With respect to ground water recharge and losses from the Canal, approximately 280 cfs can be <br />diverted at the river without making deliveries to any farms. Diversions above this level result in <br />deliveries to individual owners, who then typically run water in their own recharge areas. The <br />amount (rate) of recharge can vary by season depending on the depth to the water table. <br />Soils within the service area tend to be a mix of sand and gravel, which facilitates the recharge <br />efforts. On individual farms, recharge areas are created by scraping off the top layers of soil to <br />make borders and banks and exposing more permeable materials. Canal water is often run into <br />small settling ponds to allow settling of fine material before being applied to the recharge area. <br />Return Flows <br />The service area of the Association is almost entirely within the Closed Basin. A small portion of <br />the service served by Lateral No. l (south end) may return to the Rio Grande, but likely serves to <br />maintain the hydraulic divide between the River and the Closed Basin. Nearly all unconsumed <br />flows from the Rio Grande Canal enter the Closed Basin aquifers. <br />C:Acdss\RGCanal.doc Rio Grande Canal Water Users Association Interview June 13, 1999 -Page 6 of 7 <br />
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