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afity Nurnhibef o <br />Aging '`later (Facflffies L em Manages it <br />Options <br />Most of the federal infrastructure that manages the finite usable water supply in <br />the West is approaching 50 -60 years of age, and some facilities are almost a <br />century old. <br />R.:��.. :: ;fir.'• _ r ,p�ij; � .. - 4 _ i•. �. ".Y= <br />Aging irrigation water control structure <br />Beginning in the early 1900s, the <br />federal government built many of <br />the water storage and delivery <br />facilities in the and West to develop <br />water supplies for a growing and <br />expanding United States. <br />These systems - the visions of past <br />water use pioneers - created vast <br />areas of- irrigated agriculture, <br />`•—=' —%-: Kati . `1 T.._• Vic• :• i -� ? f <br />harnessed the power of falling water to <br />produce energy, and allowed cities to <br />flourish. <br />Many water supply facilities today in the <br />West continue to use 19th century <br />technology to attempt to meet 21 st century <br />problems. <br />In some instances, canals can lose up to 50 <br />percent of their irrigation water through <br />seepage. <br />ilk. ^`i <br />� l <br />11 <br />