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yJV Vt`�Uvil7C�fi ,
<br />The.. ent
<br />By ANDREA RICH venting saline build -up arid.
<br />.As an agricultural producer and stretching available water than irrigated,
<br />an irrigation specialist, Jim Val- others. Over - irrigating can cause 11- even if the
<br />e liant's goal is a simple con ce p t with inch furro ws in the fi eld as Val -
<br />roducer
<br />complicated solutions. liant's witnessed, that not only strip s.. due
<br />"My overall goal has been to do the field of precious topsoil, but also ditch water. The combination of a worked. with the Natural.
<br />Resource
<br />everything I could to keep water in allow the water to pick up a high shallow water table and salt can kill Conservation Service, the U.S.
<br />the Arkansas River Basin," Valliant volume of salt that is delivered to a crop, Valliant told producers Geological Survey, the Bureau of
<br />said. This is his tenth year with other areas in the form of tail water: there. Reclamation, Southeast Colorado
<br />Colorado State University Cooper- Use of gated pipe,, underground In another area, Valliant was Water Conservancy District and the
<br />alive Extension. pipe, drip irrigation, trash screens successful in planting salt - tolerant state ,water engineer's office: That
<br />Valliant, originally from Texas, and adapted sprinkler systems grasses and transforming a barren kind of inter- agency cooperation in
<br />farms with his sons in Crowley (where the water is put down geld of white to vegetated land. By Colorado'is.the envy of some other
<br />County, and has managed 12,000 through a flexible.pipe to the;base. planting cool - season grasses, a pro- 'states, Valliant said, adding that he
<br />acres of,farmland in a previous job of the plant and not sprayed on the ducer can use his. early ,season . personally will, work with "in fact
<br />in that area 5 000 of those he leaves) are ways to conserve water
<br />T � hater for the grass and his alfalfa anybody that will listen. !„
<br />He considers the formation of a
<br />es ,winter water storage plan as one
<br />,oAurora.and.ox.' eSncal%�«�durrn+>tames. nIt _ ,t'y�_,r_� .. _,
<br />instbc"of°fighttng potential ".'transported one million.tons ofsalt FOtyacrylamide!is
<br />sales of irrigation. water. in. the polit- „ ,"It would, sure make you pucker, , b1e polymer synthesized from natu_n "S.ome �lar
<br />ical arena; :Valliant chooses to use .wouldn't it ?" Valliant,asked -,, " -ral gas .that binds; water,'and soil get aw "aye
<br />his knowledge and his thirst for:. • .Through CSU,'Valliant',has -" particlesMtogether,?Yt prevents soil; pant said'}
<br />ever - evolving ideas,, Of. how to make worked'with a`number;'of areas'and' erosion' and I Proves,theinfiltra banitipgws
<br />Water go farther.as another way to. producers, from; Caraon`City to'Hol , 'tion rates wheri used in furrow. and P� of the a
<br />s rinkler irri ated fields Valliant',is, Valllan
<br />keep water, in the basin. ly „Campo to Walsh: He estimates P.• g
<br />"We have to come up with better ”! putting on,150 workshops in ,the a huge proponent ¢f,IVi "since he ^ whenag
<br />use of our water to allow farmers to last 10 :years'for both producers and began working with it in 95 In; access tN
<br />make enough money to stay in what.he calls the "trainers," people 1998 he began deriponstratin may " y�
<br />business• and not.sell'our.water, who represent'agencies and,organi to decrease seepage fromda�«P,
<br />veyance, systems, ;con& -tttig
<br />Valliant said:' We need to make our zations; and'take the 'information research 'on the ForCo",
<br />on ^Ca
<br />water stretch as far as :it will go ;back toaheir constituents .,,
<br />effectively,` We need to be effective 1neach instance,?:my logo is north of � a junta In nertes.t M pry
<br />— which is a balance of efficiency `stretch''our water,;" yalliant said added PATYI at the';headgat� at one >r'
<br />that would produce higher returns' Grants and' "s lecial progxazns . l'O!md per, minute and caused 43 4;
<br />",Valliant is studying ways to Mover the years have'helped several,, 0' 1 of sediment and clay particles' n
<br />improve the use,of;;;liniited''water ,`;areas,' sure as producers,iii the,, ,to;settle iti';the.bottom.of the ditch, '
<br />LT
<br />resources and improve the quality Northeast Prowers Soil Conserva , in .9 10 minutes. He's also.eonduct�; a wP.
<br />of the land and water through prat ` Uon District' � Valliant and Garcia' 'ed ditch seepage studies an ;the Fort' "a« ugl3
<br />tices that do'not erode recious to are showtn roducersinear, Holl + Lyon, Catlin and Buffalo canals m OlrxeySptt '
<br />P p- g P Y the lot 1
<br />soil nutrients or transfer salt back hat a yens and�.a global�positioning . The future ltantS�hav�' ,
<br />and;forth between the soil and the t'system` can measure soil de tt rl ; valliant'considers himself some
<br />rr "
<br />p �lthougl
<br />Valliant's where and why ield�isJow. Having ;. eI* fro "
<br />riv every area of the field and ^show " thing of a snake oil. salesman, trav
<br />name, a tex�'e" '" lu
<br />research is conducted y .y , g g m .town to;: town with pew,... , .
<br />downt plan toatop "tieidga
<br />through a team approach with Dr.immedate datafrom this combined ideas to cure a fann'swa4er ills, ° �s.
<br />system m watex improvement;+ �„
<br />Tim Gates�and,Dn'Luis Garcia, also y m can show. a" producer ,that I m excited about new tech -� M,
<br />ofFCSU, and.several students: Gov sometimes the field does not need niques," Valliant said He has' ` � erytlua g f dd alias ;been,
<br />ernment, agencies and water orga �.::; r t ©ward stretching water, "'he�aaid,} a`
<br />t NF
<br />mzations �are included wherever
<br />possible because Valliant believes
<br />cooperation in solving problems is`r��v " "tlaw` �M ,
<br />the best way to get the Job done.
<br />The silent killer,;,r>
<br />Valliant is widel y b recopnized for
<br />the research he conducts and cor
<br />o
<br />n eaµ
<br />responding information he gathers.
<br />on salinity. It's .a subject he has
<br />been interested in as both a farmer" a yr'
<br />and an irrigation specialist,. When
<br />°
<br />Valliant farmed for Foxley's, he
<br />rrt�F 4 p�, $ r nsrif4 +i: m yak vro
<br />said "we would have to abandon a
<br />lot of land as non- productive due
<br />to saline and go to more productive
<br />soils West in the county near Olney ° ''�oah
<br />Springs. We used to farm right t • + ""
<br />around where Foxley used to be." r
<br />haw hM� ": �hvi �h ra5 ra49 a wY R.� "�'
<br />That farm was large enoughto have
<br />the option of abandoning certain�ao�
<br />areas; which is 'something Valliant
<br />recognizes most people can't do.
<br />"It's been• a significant problem:
<br />When I first came here I began to I �,� "
<br />.
<br />emphasize to people that they need . � y" ��t°� � ^`"` w, � ' :t; • " ��'���• �"i'�� *
<br />to reduce their over - irrigation.'
<br />Valliant wages his war on salt by 1�� a „� „� � IN
<br />conducting field research and ath-
<br />erin data to pr ove to irrigators that
<br />CSU Cooperative Irrigation specialist Jim Valliant studies a'ma that shows all the canal systems
<br />some methods.work better in pre n e and the Kansas ne.
<br />He has an interest in the welfare of all of them. ' ' '
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