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On the negative side,water is being purchased by outside capital and then removed from this <br /> reach of the valley. This places constraints on the future of such cities as Lamar,Las Animas,La Junta <br /> and other communities. Water removal also has an adverse effect on agricultural production, and limits <br /> future opportunities for growers to utilize modem on-farm irrigation technologies and innovative <br /> irrigation canal operating procedures. Meanwhile,ineffective management of surface and subsurface <br /> water sources leads to salinity and drainage problems that affect agricultural productivity. <br /> Drainage is often the"orphan"of water management in irrigated areas,as it has largely been in <br /> the Lower Arkansas Valley for many years. Drainage is frequently neglected until lands begin to be <br /> unproductive due to seepage and other problems. It is human nature not to be concerned with something <br /> that is generally"out-of-sight and out-of mind." However, growers are not the only ones affected by <br /> drainage problems. Flooding of homes has occurred in recent years,due in part to problems surrounding <br /> the inadequate drainage of irrigated lands. Improper drainage contributes to water quality problems, <br /> environmental and interstate compact agreements,and degraded return flows used on farms lower in the <br /> valley. In addition,many groundwater augmentation programs in the Lower Arkansas Valley for both <br /> potable and irrigation water use will likely expand their use of drainage water in the future. Poor drainage <br /> may lead to future water quality issues for these augmentation programs. In summary,proper drainage of <br /> irrigated lands is important to agricultural production,local commerce,interstate compact agreements, <br /> and the environment. <br /> The exact location of many of the 90 year-old subsurface drainage networks in the Lower <br /> Arkansas Valley has been lost over the years due to misplaced records. In addition,occasional damage <br /> continues to occur to the subsurface and surface drainage networks as a result of agricultural land <br /> preparation and excavation activities associated with the installation of utility pipelines and improperly <br /> supervised rural subdivision development. <br /> The proposed research will make it possible for drainage districts to develop a long-term <br /> rehabilitation plan for a fully integrated drainage network in the lower valley,including significant <br /> reconstruction of existing drains,observation manholes,and pumping plants in closed basins. Again,this <br /> study will be benefited by on-going research being conducted by Colorado State University involving <br /> data collection for sophisticated steady-state modeling of water table depths and contours in the Lower <br /> Arkansas Valley.' <br /> GOALS OF STUDY <br /> The study will focus on Water District 17 and 67(Water Division 2),in southeastern Colorado as <br /> a case study area, although what is learned should be applicable to drainage rehabilitation in other areas of <br /> Colorado as well. Many irrigated areas in the state were not developed with subsurface drainage in mind, <br /> and therefore do not have proper drainage. As prime irrigated lands are converted from agricultural to <br /> other uses,the remaining lands for agricultural use are often of marginal quality and lack proper drainage. <br /> The Lower Arkansas Valley is an excellent place to begin developing a coherent state policy with regard <br /> to improving our approach to subsurface and surface drainage. As urbanization gradually expands upon <br /> our prime irrigated lands,it will be important to ensure that our remaining agricultural lands can continue <br /> production for the next 100 years. In addition to the long-term sustainability of agriculture in the state, <br /> improved drainage will help resolve water quality issues in our river systems,many of which refer back to <br /> inadequate drainage. <br /> 'Gates,et al(2002) <br /> 3 <br />